Weekly Zinc Supplements Can Reduce Deaths In Young Children
2005/08/23 -
The Lancet
From 2000 to 2003, pneumonia caused 2 million of 10·6 million deaths among childrenyounger than 5 years worldwide. Diarrhoea causes a further 1·9 million deaths in this groupannually. Daily regimens of zinc have been reported to prevent acute lower respiratory tractinfection and diarrhoea, and reduce child mortality.
Abdullah Brooks (International Centre for Diarrhoea Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh)and colleagues looked at whether giving children zinc weekly could prevent clinicalpneumonia* and diarrhoea in children younger than two years. Between April 1999 andAugust 2000 the investigators recruited 1621 children aged 2–12 months from Kamalapur,Bangladesh. Half the children were assigned to a weekly 70 mg dose of zinc and half toplacebo. The investigators found mortality was reduced by 85% in the group assigned zinc.Children younger than 12 months in this group also had less pneumonia and diarrhoea thanthose on placebo.
Dr Brooks states: “Zinc substantially reduced the incidence of pneumonia and other upperand lower respiratory tract disease, and modestly reduced that of diarrhoea. However, theeffect of zinc on mortality was strong . . . Zinc might be progressively protective against moreinvasive and severe disease, leading to an 85% reduction in overall mortality, primarily owingto pneumonia.”
Dr W Abdullah Brooks, Programme of Infectious Diseases & Vaccine Sciences, Health Systems InfectiousDiseases Division, ICDDRB Centre for Health & Population Research, GPO Box 128, Mohakhali,Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh. Author in the US until August 27 contact T) +1 518 945 3071;Mobile: 443 722 5511.
Half of women treated with osteoporosis drugs may have insufficient vitamin D levels...
Research conducted by Michael F Holick, MD, PhD, of Boston University School of Medicine and colleagues has found that women being treated for osteoporosis have low levels of vitamin D, a nutrient that is necessary for adequate bone mineralization. The study was published in the June 2005 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (http://jcem.endojournals.org/).
Dr Holick and colleagues recruited 1,536 women from 61 study sites who had been taking osteoporosis medications for a minimum of three months. Participants were allowed to have used vitamin D supplements, but were excluded if they had recently decreased or increased the amount taken. All participants received medical examinations during which they were questioned concerning medication and supplement intake, and blood samples were drawn and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (the active vitamin D metabolite) levels measured.
Fifty-two percent of the women were found to have inadequate levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, defined as less than 30 nanograms per milliliter. Eighteen percent had levels even lower, at 20 nanograms per milliliter or below. Sixty-three percent of women who reported an intake of 400 international units or less of supplemental vitamin D had inadequate vitamin D levels compared to 45 percent of those whose intake was 400 international units or greater. The absence of prior discussion with a physician concerning vitamin D's importance to bone health was also associated with lower levels of the vitamin.
The authors write that although the study was conducted during winter when vitamin D levels are usually lower, even with adequate sun exposure during summer and fall the public is still at risk for low levels of the vitamin because its half life is only two weeks. They recommend greater education concerning improving vitamin D status in women with osteoporosis.
CW
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Fish oil 'calms kids with ADHD'
AAP16aug05A
DAILY dose of fish oil helps calm children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, an Australian study suggests, PhD psychology student Natalie Sinn, of the University of South Australia and CSIRO Nutrition, studied 145 children aged seven to 12 with ADHD over 15 weeks.
Half were given a commercially available dietary supplement containing a combination of fish oil and evening primrose oil, in a ratio of four to one.
The other group took a placebo – an inactive treatment.
In what's known as a double-blind study, parents, children and researchers did not know whether children were taking the daily fish oil capsules or the placebo.
MS Sinn said when parents were later questioned, children on the active fish oil capsules, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, showed improvements in attention, behaviour and vocabulary.
"They were able to concentrate better, they were calmer, less impulsive, that sort of thing," Ms Sinn said in an interview.
"The same improvements were not reported from children who took the placebo."
When the placebo group switched to the fish oil capsules for a further 15 weeks, they showed similar benefits.
Children recruited into the study were not taking medication for their ADHD.
They were given just under a gram of fish oil a day in the trial.
Ms Sinn said 60 per cent of the brain was composed of fats, the most important being omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in fish oil, and omega-6, like those in evening primrose oil.
She said many people in western societies were deficient in the omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in dark leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds and oily fish.
"There's a growing body of research that's finding evidence of links between omega-3 deficiency and mental health problems like depression and schizophrenia," Ms Sinn said.
"Research is also suggesting that some children with developmental problems, including ADHD and dyslexia, can benefit from taking omega-3 supplements."
Ms Sinn said no adverse effects had been reported to date.
By comparison, Ritalin – a drug commonly used to treat ADHD – has been linked to suicidal thoughts, hallucinations, aggressive and violent behaviour and heart problems.
Ms Sinn said the fish oil in her study had higher concentrations of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) to docosahexaenoic acid (DPA).
"Researchers are starting to think that perhaps EPA is the important one," she explained.
The Adelaide-based researcher urged general practitioners, psychologists and psychiatrists to take the research on board as evidence about the benefits of fish oil accumulates.
Ms Sinn presented her research in Melbourne at the State Library of Victoria.
Comment: A few years ago I wrote this article for the Brentwood Times and I will reprint it below...
ADD/ADHD, Disorder or Deficiency?
Recent research in the area Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, (ADHD), shows that 3% to 5% of our children here in the U.S. suffer from this difficult problem. Symptoms of this disorder include short attention span, inability to complete tasks, hyperactivity, and a tendency to interrupt others. In addition to these behavioral issues, nearly 25% of these children suffer from one or more specific learning disabilities in math, spelling, or reading. Most parents of children with ADD/ADHD report feelings of frustration because they know their kids are quite bright in spite of the evident behavior. So here is the critical question…Are these children deficient in Ridlin, the drug of choice these days, or is something natural missing from their diets?
Since 1995, many reputable studies around the world have suggested that ADD and ADHD are actually caused by a deficiency in certain essential fatty acids and not necessarily disorders requiring drug therapy. A study first reported in 1995, conducted at Purdue University, linked a sub-clinical deficiency in a long chain fatty acid derived from fish, called Docosahexaenoic Acid, or DHA, as responsible for the abnormal behavior of children with ADD/ADHD.
In 1997, Dr. Barbara Levine, Professor of Nutrition in Medicine at Cornell University, sounded the alarm that most Americans were grossly deficient in DHA because of a lack of enough fish in the American diet. DHA is the building block of human brain tissue and is very abundant in the gray matter of the brain and the retina of the eye. Low levels of DHA in adults have also recently been associated with many health issues such as depression, memory loss, dementia and visual problems.
It turns out that the DHA of an infant’s brain triples during the first 3 months of life. Lactating mothers and women who are pregnant should make sure that they are getting optimal levels of DHA during that crucial time period. Unfortunately, according to Dr. Levine, the average DHA content of breast milk in the U.S. is the smallest in the world, most likely due to our low intake of fish, relative to other countries. Making matters worse, she tells us that the U.S. is the only country in the world where infant formulas are not fortified with DHA. This, despite the fact that in 1995, the World Health Organization recommended that all baby formulas should provide at least 40mg of DHA per kilo of infant body weight. Dr. Levine believes that postpartum depression, ADD, ADHD, and low IQ’s are all linked to the dismally low intake of DHA in the U.S.
Have you ever wondered why more male children are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD compared with girls? Researchers at the School of Medicine at the University of Auckland discovered that male animals require 3 times as much essential fatty acids as do females in order to achieve normal neonatal infant development. Their studies also confirm that blood analysis of ADD/ADHD kids showed significantly depressed levels of DHA, and in most cases, low levels of zinc, an important trace mineral known for improving learning.
For many health reasons, Americans should eat cold-water fish like Salmon or Mackerel at least 3 times per week, or consider supplementing with up to 850mg of concentrated fish oil from a reputable source, as many scientists are suggesting. I encourage you to contact us for reprints of the studies I have on file so you can read more about this important research.
Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
DAILY dose of fish oil helps calm children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, an Australian study suggests, PhD psychology student Natalie Sinn, of the University of South Australia and CSIRO Nutrition, studied 145 children aged seven to 12 with ADHD over 15 weeks.
Half were given a commercially available dietary supplement containing a combination of fish oil and evening primrose oil, in a ratio of four to one.
The other group took a placebo – an inactive treatment.
In what's known as a double-blind study, parents, children and researchers did not know whether children were taking the daily fish oil capsules or the placebo.
MS Sinn said when parents were later questioned, children on the active fish oil capsules, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, showed improvements in attention, behaviour and vocabulary.
"They were able to concentrate better, they were calmer, less impulsive, that sort of thing," Ms Sinn said in an interview.
"The same improvements were not reported from children who took the placebo."
When the placebo group switched to the fish oil capsules for a further 15 weeks, they showed similar benefits.
Children recruited into the study were not taking medication for their ADHD.
They were given just under a gram of fish oil a day in the trial.
Ms Sinn said 60 per cent of the brain was composed of fats, the most important being omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in fish oil, and omega-6, like those in evening primrose oil.
She said many people in western societies were deficient in the omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in dark leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds and oily fish.
"There's a growing body of research that's finding evidence of links between omega-3 deficiency and mental health problems like depression and schizophrenia," Ms Sinn said.
"Research is also suggesting that some children with developmental problems, including ADHD and dyslexia, can benefit from taking omega-3 supplements."
Ms Sinn said no adverse effects had been reported to date.
By comparison, Ritalin – a drug commonly used to treat ADHD – has been linked to suicidal thoughts, hallucinations, aggressive and violent behaviour and heart problems.
Ms Sinn said the fish oil in her study had higher concentrations of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) to docosahexaenoic acid (DPA).
"Researchers are starting to think that perhaps EPA is the important one," she explained.
The Adelaide-based researcher urged general practitioners, psychologists and psychiatrists to take the research on board as evidence about the benefits of fish oil accumulates.
Ms Sinn presented her research in Melbourne at the State Library of Victoria.
Comment: A few years ago I wrote this article for the Brentwood Times and I will reprint it below...
ADD/ADHD, Disorder or Deficiency?
Recent research in the area Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, (ADHD), shows that 3% to 5% of our children here in the U.S. suffer from this difficult problem. Symptoms of this disorder include short attention span, inability to complete tasks, hyperactivity, and a tendency to interrupt others. In addition to these behavioral issues, nearly 25% of these children suffer from one or more specific learning disabilities in math, spelling, or reading. Most parents of children with ADD/ADHD report feelings of frustration because they know their kids are quite bright in spite of the evident behavior. So here is the critical question…Are these children deficient in Ridlin, the drug of choice these days, or is something natural missing from their diets?
Since 1995, many reputable studies around the world have suggested that ADD and ADHD are actually caused by a deficiency in certain essential fatty acids and not necessarily disorders requiring drug therapy. A study first reported in 1995, conducted at Purdue University, linked a sub-clinical deficiency in a long chain fatty acid derived from fish, called Docosahexaenoic Acid, or DHA, as responsible for the abnormal behavior of children with ADD/ADHD.
In 1997, Dr. Barbara Levine, Professor of Nutrition in Medicine at Cornell University, sounded the alarm that most Americans were grossly deficient in DHA because of a lack of enough fish in the American diet. DHA is the building block of human brain tissue and is very abundant in the gray matter of the brain and the retina of the eye. Low levels of DHA in adults have also recently been associated with many health issues such as depression, memory loss, dementia and visual problems.
It turns out that the DHA of an infant’s brain triples during the first 3 months of life. Lactating mothers and women who are pregnant should make sure that they are getting optimal levels of DHA during that crucial time period. Unfortunately, according to Dr. Levine, the average DHA content of breast milk in the U.S. is the smallest in the world, most likely due to our low intake of fish, relative to other countries. Making matters worse, she tells us that the U.S. is the only country in the world where infant formulas are not fortified with DHA. This, despite the fact that in 1995, the World Health Organization recommended that all baby formulas should provide at least 40mg of DHA per kilo of infant body weight. Dr. Levine believes that postpartum depression, ADD, ADHD, and low IQ’s are all linked to the dismally low intake of DHA in the U.S.
Have you ever wondered why more male children are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD compared with girls? Researchers at the School of Medicine at the University of Auckland discovered that male animals require 3 times as much essential fatty acids as do females in order to achieve normal neonatal infant development. Their studies also confirm that blood analysis of ADD/ADHD kids showed significantly depressed levels of DHA, and in most cases, low levels of zinc, an important trace mineral known for improving learning.
For many health reasons, Americans should eat cold-water fish like Salmon or Mackerel at least 3 times per week, or consider supplementing with up to 850mg of concentrated fish oil from a reputable source, as many scientists are suggesting. I encourage you to contact us for reprints of the studies I have on file so you can read more about this important research.
Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Folic acid may be the most important nutrient to reduce Alzheimer's risk
From Life Extension Foundation...08-11-05
The results of a long-term study published in the inaugural issue of Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, indicate that consuming adequate levels of the B vitamin folate is associated with the greatest protection against Alzheimer's disease of any nutrient examined. Folate is found in a number of foods, such as leafy green vegetables, but is often destroyed by cooking. Grain products have been fortified with folic acid in the United States since 1998, however, it is believed that many Americans are still deficient in the vitamin. The study is the largest so far to evaluate the association between folate and Alzheimer's risk and to analyze antioxidants and B vitamins at the same time.
Assistant professor of neurology Maria Corrada of the University of California Irvine's Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia and colleagues utilized data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging which was begun in 1958 and includes over 1,400 participants. The current study involved 579 subjects without dementia aged 60 and older who completed seven-day dietary diaries between 1984 and 1991. Fifty-seven of these participants developed Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers found that individuals whose intake of folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin E were higher had a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than those whose intake was less, however when the vitamins were analyzed together, only folate intake was correlated with a significantly decreased risk of the disease. Dr Corrada noted, "The participants who had intakes at or above the 400 microgram recommended dietary allowance of folates had a 55 percent reduction in risk of developing Alzheimer's. But most people who reached that level did so by taking folic acid supplements, which suggests that many people do not get the recommended amounts of folates in their diets."
cw
Comment: Make sure your multi vitamin has at least 400 mcgs of Folic acid. If it doesn't, change brands or add extra B-Complex. Other studies indicate Vit E and C as well as Omega 3 EFA's are also critical here.
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
The results of a long-term study published in the inaugural issue of Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, indicate that consuming adequate levels of the B vitamin folate is associated with the greatest protection against Alzheimer's disease of any nutrient examined. Folate is found in a number of foods, such as leafy green vegetables, but is often destroyed by cooking. Grain products have been fortified with folic acid in the United States since 1998, however, it is believed that many Americans are still deficient in the vitamin. The study is the largest so far to evaluate the association between folate and Alzheimer's risk and to analyze antioxidants and B vitamins at the same time.
Assistant professor of neurology Maria Corrada of the University of California Irvine's Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia and colleagues utilized data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging which was begun in 1958 and includes over 1,400 participants. The current study involved 579 subjects without dementia aged 60 and older who completed seven-day dietary diaries between 1984 and 1991. Fifty-seven of these participants developed Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers found that individuals whose intake of folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin E were higher had a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than those whose intake was less, however when the vitamins were analyzed together, only folate intake was correlated with a significantly decreased risk of the disease. Dr Corrada noted, "The participants who had intakes at or above the 400 microgram recommended dietary allowance of folates had a 55 percent reduction in risk of developing Alzheimer's. But most people who reached that level did so by taking folic acid supplements, which suggests that many people do not get the recommended amounts of folates in their diets."
cw
Comment: Make sure your multi vitamin has at least 400 mcgs of Folic acid. If it doesn't, change brands or add extra B-Complex. Other studies indicate Vit E and C as well as Omega 3 EFA's are also critical here.
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Vitamin D levels low in almost all hip fracture patients
8/3/2005- Nearly all hip fracture patients are deficient, sometimes severely, in vitamin D, researchers in Scotland reported this week.Reviewing the cases of 548 patients over the age of 60 who were admitted at South Glasgow University Hospital during a four-year period, the researchers found that 97.8 per cent had vitamin D levels below normal.
In around a quarter of the group studied, levels were so low that they were "effectively unrecordable", said the authors in the online issue of Current Medical Research and Opinion (DOI: 10.1185/030079905X59148).
Vitamin D currently only makes up 4 per cent of all vitamin sales and lags well behind calcium in terms of bone health supplements. But increasing evidence underlines its importance in protecting against fractures.
In a second prospective study phase, the researchers looked at vitamin D levels among the first 50 patients admitted to the hospital with an osteoporosis fracture after November 2004.
More than 80 per cent had vitamin D levels below 70 nmol/L and 72 per cent had vitamin D levels below 50 nmol/L.
"Although numbers were too small to justify extensive subgroup analyses, the mean vitamin D level in the 13 patients with hip fracture was lower than in the 37 with non-hip fractures," said the researchers.
They conclude: "It may be that vitamin D represents a correctable risk factor for fragility fracture in the elderly, possibly specifically for the hip."
Vitamin D3
cw
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
In around a quarter of the group studied, levels were so low that they were "effectively unrecordable", said the authors in the online issue of Current Medical Research and Opinion (DOI: 10.1185/030079905X59148).
Vitamin D currently only makes up 4 per cent of all vitamin sales and lags well behind calcium in terms of bone health supplements. But increasing evidence underlines its importance in protecting against fractures.
In a second prospective study phase, the researchers looked at vitamin D levels among the first 50 patients admitted to the hospital with an osteoporosis fracture after November 2004.
More than 80 per cent had vitamin D levels below 70 nmol/L and 72 per cent had vitamin D levels below 50 nmol/L.
"Although numbers were too small to justify extensive subgroup analyses, the mean vitamin D level in the 13 patients with hip fracture was lower than in the 37 with non-hip fractures," said the researchers.
They conclude: "It may be that vitamin D represents a correctable risk factor for fragility fracture in the elderly, possibly specifically for the hip."
Vitamin D3
cw
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
WE ARE ALL GIRLY MEN UNTIL WERE 6 WEEKS OLD...
Have you ever wondered why your teeth chatter when you're cold, or if you could really catch a disease from sitting on a toilet seat?
New York physician Billy Goldberg, pestered by unusual questions at cocktail parties and other social gatherings over the years, puts the public's mind at ease in his book "Why Do Men Have Nipples?" which hits the book stores on Tuesday.
"It's really remarkable how often you get accosted," said Goldberg, 39. "There are the medical questions from family and friends, and then there are the drunk and outrageous questions where somebody wants to drop their pants and show you a rash or something."
The book, subtitled, "Hundreds of Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini," (Three Rivers Press), is co-authored by humorist Mark Leyner.
"People tend to know so little about their bodies as compared to their cars or their laptops," said Leyner, 49, of Hoboken, New Jersey. "When I worked in a pharmacy in Washington, D.C., people would ask me medical questions all the time. I was just a 22-year-old cashier at Rite Aid."
Chattering teeth is one way the body tries to generate heat.
When the body gets too cold, the area of the brain called the hypothalamus alerts the rest of the body to begin warming up. Shivering, the rapid muscle movement that generates heat, then begins. Teeth chattering represents localized shivering.
During the course of their research, Goldberg and Leyner found reports of gonorrhea, pinworm and roundworm found on toilet seats -- but catching something from it isn't common.
The authors discovered that an office setting might be worse for your health than toilet seats. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona, found the typical office desk harbors some 400 times more disease-causing bacteria than the average toilet seat.
Goldberg had compiled a list of nagging questions for several years before embarking on the book after meeting Leyner. The two met while working on a short-lived ABC-TV medical drama, "Wonderland," in which Leyner served as a writer, while Goldberg was its medical advisor.
BURNING QUESTIONS
Some of the burning questions answered in the humorous book include "What causes morning breath?" and "Why do beans give you gas?"
Goldberg says morning breath results from anaerobic bacteria, the xerostomia (dry mouth) or the volatile sulfur compounds (which are waste products from the bacteria). Other contributing factors to foul oral odor includes medication, alcohol, sugar, smoking, caffeine, and eating dairy products.
Beans contain high percentages of sugars that our bodies are unable to digest, Goldberg explains. When the sugars make it to the intestines, bacteria go to work and start producing large amounts of gas.
And if you're ever bitten by a poisonous snake, sucking at the bite to remove the poison, as often shown in the movies and on TV is not only ineffective, but could lead to an infection.
Instead, the bite should be washed with soap and water and immobilized. The bitten area should also be kept lower than the heart. Medical help should be sought immediately.
And why do men have nipples?
While only females have mammary glands, we all start out in a similar way in the embryo, the authors explain. The embryo follows a female template until about six weeks, when the male sex chromosome kicks in.
Men, however, have already developed nipples.
cw
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
New York physician Billy Goldberg, pestered by unusual questions at cocktail parties and other social gatherings over the years, puts the public's mind at ease in his book "Why Do Men Have Nipples?" which hits the book stores on Tuesday.
"It's really remarkable how often you get accosted," said Goldberg, 39. "There are the medical questions from family and friends, and then there are the drunk and outrageous questions where somebody wants to drop their pants and show you a rash or something."
The book, subtitled, "Hundreds of Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini," (Three Rivers Press), is co-authored by humorist Mark Leyner.
"People tend to know so little about their bodies as compared to their cars or their laptops," said Leyner, 49, of Hoboken, New Jersey. "When I worked in a pharmacy in Washington, D.C., people would ask me medical questions all the time. I was just a 22-year-old cashier at Rite Aid."
Chattering teeth is one way the body tries to generate heat.
When the body gets too cold, the area of the brain called the hypothalamus alerts the rest of the body to begin warming up. Shivering, the rapid muscle movement that generates heat, then begins. Teeth chattering represents localized shivering.
During the course of their research, Goldberg and Leyner found reports of gonorrhea, pinworm and roundworm found on toilet seats -- but catching something from it isn't common.
The authors discovered that an office setting might be worse for your health than toilet seats. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona, found the typical office desk harbors some 400 times more disease-causing bacteria than the average toilet seat.
Goldberg had compiled a list of nagging questions for several years before embarking on the book after meeting Leyner. The two met while working on a short-lived ABC-TV medical drama, "Wonderland," in which Leyner served as a writer, while Goldberg was its medical advisor.
BURNING QUESTIONS
Some of the burning questions answered in the humorous book include "What causes morning breath?" and "Why do beans give you gas?"
Goldberg says morning breath results from anaerobic bacteria, the xerostomia (dry mouth) or the volatile sulfur compounds (which are waste products from the bacteria). Other contributing factors to foul oral odor includes medication, alcohol, sugar, smoking, caffeine, and eating dairy products.
Beans contain high percentages of sugars that our bodies are unable to digest, Goldberg explains. When the sugars make it to the intestines, bacteria go to work and start producing large amounts of gas.
And if you're ever bitten by a poisonous snake, sucking at the bite to remove the poison, as often shown in the movies and on TV is not only ineffective, but could lead to an infection.
Instead, the bite should be washed with soap and water and immobilized. The bitten area should also be kept lower than the heart. Medical help should be sought immediately.
And why do men have nipples?
While only females have mammary glands, we all start out in a similar way in the embryo, the authors explain. The embryo follows a female template until about six weeks, when the male sex chromosome kicks in.
Men, however, have already developed nipples.
cw
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
IF YOU EAT FEW CALORIES, BUT ARE STILL GAINING WEIGHT, HERE IS A POSSIBLE CLUE:
Soft drinks sweetened with fructose make you fat...
Asian News InternationalWashington, July 30, 2005
A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Cincinnati suggests that drinking large amounts of beverages containing fructose adds body fat, and might explain why sweetening with fructose could be even worse than using other sweeteners.
The team led by Matthias Tschvp allowed mice to freely consume either water, fructose sweetened water or soft drinks. They found increased body fat in the mice that drank the fructose-sweetened water and soft drinks--despite that fact that these animals decreased the amount of calories they consumed from solid food.
It suggests that the total amount of calories consumed when fructose is added to diets may not be the only explanation for weight gain. Instead, consuming fructose appears to affect metabolic rate in a way that favours fat storage.
All the mice began the study at an average weight of 39 grams. Those consuming the fructose-sweetened water showed significant weight gain over the course of the study, with an average final weight of 48 grams--compared with averages below 44 grams for the other groups--and had about 90 percent more body fat than the mice that consumed water only.
Total caloric intake was lower in the mice that consumed the fructose-sweetened water than in the other groups, except for the control animals provided with water only.
"We were surprised to see that mice actually ate less when exposed to fructose-sweetened beverages, and therefore didn't consume more overall calories. Nevertheless, they gained significantly more body fat within a few weeks," Tschvp added.
CW
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Asian News InternationalWashington, July 30, 2005
A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Cincinnati suggests that drinking large amounts of beverages containing fructose adds body fat, and might explain why sweetening with fructose could be even worse than using other sweeteners.
The team led by Matthias Tschvp allowed mice to freely consume either water, fructose sweetened water or soft drinks. They found increased body fat in the mice that drank the fructose-sweetened water and soft drinks--despite that fact that these animals decreased the amount of calories they consumed from solid food.
It suggests that the total amount of calories consumed when fructose is added to diets may not be the only explanation for weight gain. Instead, consuming fructose appears to affect metabolic rate in a way that favours fat storage.
All the mice began the study at an average weight of 39 grams. Those consuming the fructose-sweetened water showed significant weight gain over the course of the study, with an average final weight of 48 grams--compared with averages below 44 grams for the other groups--and had about 90 percent more body fat than the mice that consumed water only.
Total caloric intake was lower in the mice that consumed the fructose-sweetened water than in the other groups, except for the control animals provided with water only.
"We were surprised to see that mice actually ate less when exposed to fructose-sweetened beverages, and therefore didn't consume more overall calories. Nevertheless, they gained significantly more body fat within a few weeks," Tschvp added.
CW
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Monday, July 25, 2005
CANCER News Alert
Published Online: July 11, 2005 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.21216Print Issue Date: August 15, 2005
Ingredient That Makes Curry Yellow Effective Against Melanoma Cells ...
Curcumin, the yellow pigment found in the spice turmeric and a key ingredient in yellow curry inhibits melanoma cell growth and stimulates tumor cell death, according to a new study. Published in the August 15, 2005 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study also elucidates curcumin's intracellular mechanisms of action in this type of tumor.
As well as showing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, curcumin has been shown to have anti-cancer properties. In other tumors, it has been demonstrated to inhibit tumor growth and stimulate apoptosis, an intracellular mechanism for cells of all types to "kill" themselves. To evaluate the compound's efficacy in melanoma, researchers led by Razelle Kurzrock, M.D. of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston treated three melanoma cell lines with curcumin at different doses and for different duration.
Results show that curcumin treatment decreased cell viability in all three cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, curcumin induced apoptosis in tumor cells at high concentrations for short periods of time and low concentrations for long periods of time - a new finding in the study of curcumin.
Curcumin was found to suppress two specific proteins normally part of an intracellular pathway that prevents apoptosis when stimulated. Curcumin partially inhibited NF-êB and strongly inhibited its upstream stimulator and another independent inhibitor of apoptosis, IKK. However, it did not suppress two other signaling pathways associated with melanomas and tumor proliferation, B-Raf/MEK/ERK and Akt pathways.
"Based on our studies, we conclude the curcumin is a potent suppressor of cell viability and inducer of apoptosis in melanoma cell lines," said the authors, adding "Future investigation to determine the effects of curcumin in animal models of melanoma and clinical trials are planned."
cw
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Ingredient That Makes Curry Yellow Effective Against Melanoma Cells ...
Curcumin, the yellow pigment found in the spice turmeric and a key ingredient in yellow curry inhibits melanoma cell growth and stimulates tumor cell death, according to a new study. Published in the August 15, 2005 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study also elucidates curcumin's intracellular mechanisms of action in this type of tumor.
As well as showing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, curcumin has been shown to have anti-cancer properties. In other tumors, it has been demonstrated to inhibit tumor growth and stimulate apoptosis, an intracellular mechanism for cells of all types to "kill" themselves. To evaluate the compound's efficacy in melanoma, researchers led by Razelle Kurzrock, M.D. of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston treated three melanoma cell lines with curcumin at different doses and for different duration.
Results show that curcumin treatment decreased cell viability in all three cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, curcumin induced apoptosis in tumor cells at high concentrations for short periods of time and low concentrations for long periods of time - a new finding in the study of curcumin.
Curcumin was found to suppress two specific proteins normally part of an intracellular pathway that prevents apoptosis when stimulated. Curcumin partially inhibited NF-êB and strongly inhibited its upstream stimulator and another independent inhibitor of apoptosis, IKK. However, it did not suppress two other signaling pathways associated with melanomas and tumor proliferation, B-Raf/MEK/ERK and Akt pathways.
"Based on our studies, we conclude the curcumin is a potent suppressor of cell viability and inducer of apoptosis in melanoma cell lines," said the authors, adding "Future investigation to determine the effects of curcumin in animal models of melanoma and clinical trials are planned."
cw
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Could protein be the key to weight loss?
7/25/2005- New research bolsters the argument that the efficacy of low-carb diets could be due to their high protein content, reports Jess Halliday. So could raising America’s protein intake help the nation beat the obesity epidemic?In the new study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, David Weigle from the University of Washington School of Medicine and colleagues set out the test the hypothesis that increasing protein while maintaining carbohydrate intake decreases the appetite, leads to the consumption of fewer calories and results in weight loss.
In an accompanying editorial, Dr Arne Astrup of the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Copenhagen said that preventing weight gain is a more complex matter than simply telling people to eat less and exercise more.
A key take-home message of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans concerns calorie control and exercise, with consumers encouraged to choose foods in order to get the most nutrition out of calories consumed.
But Astrup argues that this is a simplistic strategy which assumes people have conscious control over their appetite and body weight regulation.
“I have never met an obese person who has worked hard to become obese and to maintain an excessive body size,” he wrote.
For Weigle’s study, 19 subjects followed three different diets, one after the other. For the first two weeks, they followed a weight-maintaining diet where protein accounted for 15 percent of calories, fat 35 percent and carbohydrate 50 percent.
For the second two weeks, they followed an isocaloric diet that was 30 percent protein, 35 percent fat and 50 percent carbohydrate.
Finally, for 12 weeks they followed a diet where there was no restriction on calories but the proportions, again, were 30 percent protein, 20 percent fat and 50 percent carbohydrate.
Their appetite, caloric intake, body weight, and fat mass were measured throughout, and at the end of each phase blood samples were taken to measure insulin, leptin (the hormone responsible for hunger) and ghrelin (the satiety hormone).
Weigle’s team found that satiety was 'markedly increased' with the isocaloric diet but leptin was unchanged.
With the ad libitum high protein diet, the participants’ average spontaneous calorie intake decreased by between 376 and 504 per day, their body weight decreased by between 4.4 and 5.4 kg and their fat mass decreased by 3.3 to 4.1 kg. Leptin levels 'significantly decreased' during this phase and ghrelin increased.
As carbohydrate remained at 50 percent during all three phases, the effects of the ad libitum diet would appear to be due to the high protein intake.
Astrup cited other research indicating that the high protein content of weight loss approaches like the Atkin’s Diet and The South Beach Diet may actually be due to the satiating effects of their high protein content (30 to 40 percent of calories consumed) rather than the low-carbohydrate design.
As to the reason that protein is more satiating than fat, the mechanism has not yet been discovered. Weigle’s results did not conclusively show that either ghrelin or leptin have a role to play.
Despite not knowing what triggers the increased satiety response, should we recommend that obese and overweigh people increase their protein intake from 10 to 20 percent of calories to 20 to 30 percent?
The answer, according to Astrup, depends on “the potential adverse effects of a high protein diet”. But the Institute of Medicine has found no clear evidence that high protein intake increases the risk of renal stones, osteoporosis, cancer or cardiovascular disease, and sets the acceptable range of protein intake as between 10 and 35 percent of calories.
Conversely, obesity increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, arthritis, asthma and back problems.
The trouble is, many of the sources of protein in the American diet – such as red meat, cheese and whole milk – are also high in saturated fats. And saturated fats are known to raise LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol levels.
“It is preferable to replace sugars from soft drinks with protein from low fat milk, high-fat milk and dairy products with the lean versions, and possibly white bread and pasta with lean meat, without reducing the intakes of fruit, vegetables and whole-grain products,” said Astrup.
At present, 64 percent of American adults are overweight or obese, and 16 percent of children are obese.
According to a recent study in Health Affairs private spending on obesity-related health care increased tenfold between 1987 and 2002, from $3.6 to $36.5 billion.
“Perhaps now is the time to consider the economic and environmental consequences of increasing the population’s intake of protein,” concluded Astrup.
Certainly, the problem needs to be addressed. But whether protein could be the key to bringing the obesity epidemic to its knees, opinion is divided.
It seems unlikely that policy-makers will jump into bed with the likes of Atkins or South Beach unless protein’s satiety mechanism is first unlocked, and the tactic is proven to be safe – irrefutably so.
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
In an accompanying editorial, Dr Arne Astrup of the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Copenhagen said that preventing weight gain is a more complex matter than simply telling people to eat less and exercise more.
A key take-home message of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans concerns calorie control and exercise, with consumers encouraged to choose foods in order to get the most nutrition out of calories consumed.
But Astrup argues that this is a simplistic strategy which assumes people have conscious control over their appetite and body weight regulation.
“I have never met an obese person who has worked hard to become obese and to maintain an excessive body size,” he wrote.
For Weigle’s study, 19 subjects followed three different diets, one after the other. For the first two weeks, they followed a weight-maintaining diet where protein accounted for 15 percent of calories, fat 35 percent and carbohydrate 50 percent.
For the second two weeks, they followed an isocaloric diet that was 30 percent protein, 35 percent fat and 50 percent carbohydrate.
Finally, for 12 weeks they followed a diet where there was no restriction on calories but the proportions, again, were 30 percent protein, 20 percent fat and 50 percent carbohydrate.
Their appetite, caloric intake, body weight, and fat mass were measured throughout, and at the end of each phase blood samples were taken to measure insulin, leptin (the hormone responsible for hunger) and ghrelin (the satiety hormone).
Weigle’s team found that satiety was 'markedly increased' with the isocaloric diet but leptin was unchanged.
With the ad libitum high protein diet, the participants’ average spontaneous calorie intake decreased by between 376 and 504 per day, their body weight decreased by between 4.4 and 5.4 kg and their fat mass decreased by 3.3 to 4.1 kg. Leptin levels 'significantly decreased' during this phase and ghrelin increased.
As carbohydrate remained at 50 percent during all three phases, the effects of the ad libitum diet would appear to be due to the high protein intake.
Astrup cited other research indicating that the high protein content of weight loss approaches like the Atkin’s Diet and The South Beach Diet may actually be due to the satiating effects of their high protein content (30 to 40 percent of calories consumed) rather than the low-carbohydrate design.
As to the reason that protein is more satiating than fat, the mechanism has not yet been discovered. Weigle’s results did not conclusively show that either ghrelin or leptin have a role to play.
Despite not knowing what triggers the increased satiety response, should we recommend that obese and overweigh people increase their protein intake from 10 to 20 percent of calories to 20 to 30 percent?
The answer, according to Astrup, depends on “the potential adverse effects of a high protein diet”. But the Institute of Medicine has found no clear evidence that high protein intake increases the risk of renal stones, osteoporosis, cancer or cardiovascular disease, and sets the acceptable range of protein intake as between 10 and 35 percent of calories.
Conversely, obesity increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, arthritis, asthma and back problems.
The trouble is, many of the sources of protein in the American diet – such as red meat, cheese and whole milk – are also high in saturated fats. And saturated fats are known to raise LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol levels.
“It is preferable to replace sugars from soft drinks with protein from low fat milk, high-fat milk and dairy products with the lean versions, and possibly white bread and pasta with lean meat, without reducing the intakes of fruit, vegetables and whole-grain products,” said Astrup.
At present, 64 percent of American adults are overweight or obese, and 16 percent of children are obese.
According to a recent study in Health Affairs private spending on obesity-related health care increased tenfold between 1987 and 2002, from $3.6 to $36.5 billion.
“Perhaps now is the time to consider the economic and environmental consequences of increasing the population’s intake of protein,” concluded Astrup.
Certainly, the problem needs to be addressed. But whether protein could be the key to bringing the obesity epidemic to its knees, opinion is divided.
It seems unlikely that policy-makers will jump into bed with the likes of Atkins or South Beach unless protein’s satiety mechanism is first unlocked, and the tactic is proven to be safe – irrefutably so.
cwComment: No divided opinion here... But while Atkins and SB are better than average weight loss programs, neither one compares to Healthpointe 2.0 . Learn how to restrict Carbs to about 15 - 20 Grams per meal and eat protein between meals and control weight forever.
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Having your low carb lifestyle and .... eating it too
I have recently added back into my regular diet 2 carbs that I missed very much. As most of you know I believe that 75% of Americans are Carbohydrate Intolerant, and therefore cannot eat most high Glycemic foods without developing Metabolic Syndrome. The foods I have added back are rice and bread. The bread I found that can be eaten in moderation is called Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread. It is 100% flourless, being made from 6 different grains and legumes that are made from organic sources and sprouted, then mashed and made into bread. It has a low Glycemic level, is very high in fiber and protein. I eat 2 slices a day, usually with eggs in the morning. I mention this today because I have been very disappointed with the bread and cereal manufacturers for advertising lately how the government has revised their Food Pyramid and now recommend Whole Grains for a healthy lifestyle. The new Pyramid recommends less grains than the last one did, and emphasizes Whole Grains more than before. While I disagree with there assessment, and know that food lobbyist's were behind their choices, what really makes me mad is how they try to sell white flour and refined cereals, as Whole Grain. Nothing could be further from the truth. I won't belabor this point here today, but I hate when food companies tell lies to sell their products, especially with the twist that it's healthy for you and a wise choice for healthy conscious people. Please, spare me. Anyway, the second food I added back in Rice, was based on research I have been doing that indicated that, a small amount of Wild Rice would complement a mostly meat and vegetable meal. Wild Rice is a grass that grows wild in streams and is native to North America. Before it is refined to the Brown and White products that most people eat, it is loaded with nutrition and very high in fiber. The only problem with Wild Rice is it takes so long to cook (about an hour) and needs to be washed and strained after cooking, and therefore is not very convenient to cook, for most busy people. I recently ran across a product at Trader Joe's that made this problem go away, and made Wild Rice, an instant success. It carries the Trader Joe's label, and it comes in a handy pouch that you put in boiling water for 5 minutes. It has no preservatives and is just precooked Wild Rice, packed only in water. I gave it a try and was very impressed.
Ezekiel Bread can be found at Raley's in the Natural Food Refrigeration section and at Trader Joe's as well. If you keep these foods down to a reasonable level, say 50 grams of total carbs for the day, they will not elevate your insulin levels significantly, they will add back some useful fiber and nutrients, and can add a bit of comfort to your diet, that only carbs seem to do so well.
cw
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Ezekiel Bread can be found at Raley's in the Natural Food Refrigeration section and at Trader Joe's as well. If you keep these foods down to a reasonable level, say 50 grams of total carbs for the day, they will not elevate your insulin levels significantly, they will add back some useful fiber and nutrients, and can add a bit of comfort to your diet, that only carbs seem to do so well.
cw
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Two things you can do today to improve Type II Diabetes
Improve Heart Health in People with Type 2 Diabetes
By Maureen Williams, ND
Healthnotes Newswire (July 14, 2005)
When people with type 2 diabetes supplement with chromium, an electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement believed to indicate a reduced risk of heart disease improves, according to the American Heart Journal (2005;149:632–6).
Type 2 diabetes (sometimes called adult-onset diabetes) is a chronic disease marked by inability to control blood sugar (glucose) levels. Blood sugar regulation depends in large part on the hormone insulin, which stimulates the entry of glucose from the blood into the cells. In many people with type 2 diabetes, however, the cells are no longer sensitive to insulin, a state known as insulin resistance. In such people, both blood glucose and insulin levels are elevated, and high blood levels of glucose and insulin can damage many tissues of the body, including the blood vessels. Heart disease risk is greatly increased in people with type 2 diabetes and the degree of risk has been found to correlate closely with the QTc interval.
Chromium is an essential trace mineral that enhances the effect of insulin in the body, potentially decreasing insulin resistance. Many, though not all, studies have shown that supplementing with chromium improves blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes.
An ECG measures the electrical impulses associated with the contraction and relaxation cycles of the heart muscles. A single cycle shows an ECG pattern of distinct changes that are named with the letters, P, Q, R, S, and T. The P wave reflects the contraction of the atria and the set of spikes and waves known as the QRST complex reflects the contraction of the ventricles. The duration of ventricular contraction, from initiation to relaxation, is measured by the length of the QRST complex and is known as the QTc interval. A number of studies have found that a long QTc interval is a strong risk factor for stroke, heart attack, and death.
The current research studied 50 people with type 2 diabetes who were managing their diabetes with diet alone and did not have evidence of serious complications such as heart or kidney failure. They were randomly assigned to receive either 1,000 mcg of chromium picolinate per day or placebo for three months. Each person then received the other treatment for a second three months. Physical exam, blood tests, and ECGs were performed at the beginning of the study, and after three and six months.
At the end of three months, insulin levels were significantly lower in the group using chromium than in the placebo group. The reduced insulin level was maintained in this group during the second three months of the study when they did not use chromium, suggesting that the effects of chromium supplementation persisted after treatment was stopped. The group that used chromium during the second three months had a similar drop in insulin levels by the end of the study. The QTc interval was also significantly shorter in the chromium group than in the placebo group at the end of the first three months. This reduction in QTc interval was maintained in the second three months, and the group that supplemented with chromium in the second three months had a similar reduction in the length of the QTc interval by the end of the study.
The results of this study show that supplementing with chromium can shorten the QTc interval in people with type 2 diabetes. This reduction in the length of the cardiac cycle is likely to indicate that the risk of heart disease has been reduced. Longer studies are needed to verify that chromium supplementation can have this benefit for people with high cardiac risk due to type 2 diabetes.
Maureen Williams, ND, received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University in Seattle, WA. She has a private practice in Quechee, VT, and does extensive work with traditional herbal medicine in Guatemala and Honduras. Dr. Williams is a regular contributor to Healthnotes Newswire.
White flour contains diabetes-causing contaminant alloxan:
You may want to think twice before eating your next sandwich on white bread. Studies show that alloxan, the chemical that makes white flour look "clean" and "beautiful," destroys the beta cells of the pancreas. That's right; you may be devastating your pancreas and putting yourself at risk for diabetes, all for the sake of eating "beautiful" flour. Is it worth it?
Scientists have known of the alloxan-diabetes connection for years; in fact, researchers who are studying diabetes commonly use the chemical to induce the disorder in Rats.
In the research sense, giving alloxan to an animal is similar to injecting that animal with a deadly virus, as both alloxan and the virus are being used specifically to cause illness. Every day, consumers ingest foods made with alloxan-contaminated flour. Would they just as willingly consume foods tainted with a deadly virus? Unless they had a death wish, they probably would not. Unfortunately, most consumers are unaware of alloxan and its potentially fatal link to diabetes because these facts are not well publicized by the food industry.
How does alloxan cause diabetes? According to Dr. Hari Sharma's Freedom from Disease, the uric acid derivative initiates free radical damage to DNA in the beta cells of the pancreas, causing the cells to malfunction and die. When these beta cells fail to operate normally, they no longer produce enough insulin, or in other words, they cause one variety of adult-onset type 2 diabetes. Alloxan's harmful effects on the pancreas are so severe that the Textbook of Natural Medicine calls the chemical "a potent beta-cell toxin." However, even though the toxic effect of alloxan is common scientific knowledge in the research community, the FDA still allows companies to use it when processing foods we ingest.
The FDA and the white flour industry could counter-argue that, if alloxan were to cause diabetes, a higher proportion of Americans would be diabetic. After all, more consumers consume white flour on a regular basis than are actually diabetic. This point is valid, but it does not disprove the alloxan-diabetes connection. While alloxan is one cause of adult-onset type 2 diabetes, it is of course not the only cause. As the Textbook of Natural Medicine states, "current theory suggests an hereditary beta-cell predisposition to injury coupled with some defect in tissue regeneration capacity" may be a key cause. For alloxan to cause injury to an individual's beta cells, the individual must have the genetic susceptibility to injury. This is similar to the connection between high-cholesterol foods and heart disease. Eating high-cholesterol foods causes heart disease, especially in people who have family histories of heart disease. The link between alloxan and diabetes is as clear and solid as the link between cholesterol and heart disease.
If you've been eating white bread for years and you have a family history of diabetes, all hope is not lost for you. Studies show that you can reverse the effects of alloxan by supplementing your diet with vitamin E. According to Dr. Gary Null's Clinicians Handbook of Natural Healing, vitamin E effectively protected lab rats from the harmful effects of administered alloxan. Now, you're not a lab rat, but you're a mammal and vitamin E is definitely worth adding to your daily regimen of nutritional supplements, especially if you have a history of eating foods made with white flour and are at high risk for diabetes.
Even if you are already diabetic, some simple changes to your diet can help treat your diabetes. First of all, stop eating foods made with white flour. Even though you already have diabetes, vitamin E supplements can still help you, as can many common foods. Garlic, for example, does wonders for diabetes. As Dr. Benjamin Lau states in his book Garlic for Health, "When fed garlic, the rabbits' elevated blood sugar dropped almost as much as it did when they were given the antidiabetic drug tolbutamide. Researchers postulated that garlic may improve the insulin effect."
If you can't handle the taste of natural garlic, you can take it in widely available supplements. Aloe vera is a traditional diabetic remedy in the Arabian Peninsula, and its therapeutic characteristics are now gaining worldwide acceptance in the treatment of diabetes. According to both human and animal research studies, aloe vera lowers blood glucose levels by an unknown mechanism. According to the Clinicians Handbook of Natural Healing, this natural hypoglycemic effect extended over a period of 24 hours. Adding onions to your diet (along with the garlic) can also significantly reduce your blood sugar level. Additionally, as Dr. Michael T. Murray writes in The Healing Power of Herbs, studies show that ginseng controls glucose in both diabetic humans and diabetic laboratory animals.
It all comes down to asking if putting yourself at risk for diabetic coma, blindness, limb amputation and death is worth eating white bread. If you're willing to risk your quality of life and your life itself, then go ahead and eat all the foods made with white flour you want. However, if you want to stop poisoning yourself with alloxan, a known toxic chemical, then make a few simple dietary changes. Eat groceries made with whole-grain wheat flour, not processed white flour.
cw
By Maureen Williams, ND
Healthnotes Newswire (July 14, 2005)
When people with type 2 diabetes supplement with chromium, an electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement believed to indicate a reduced risk of heart disease improves, according to the American Heart Journal (2005;149:632–6).
Type 2 diabetes (sometimes called adult-onset diabetes) is a chronic disease marked by inability to control blood sugar (glucose) levels. Blood sugar regulation depends in large part on the hormone insulin, which stimulates the entry of glucose from the blood into the cells. In many people with type 2 diabetes, however, the cells are no longer sensitive to insulin, a state known as insulin resistance. In such people, both blood glucose and insulin levels are elevated, and high blood levels of glucose and insulin can damage many tissues of the body, including the blood vessels. Heart disease risk is greatly increased in people with type 2 diabetes and the degree of risk has been found to correlate closely with the QTc interval.
Chromium is an essential trace mineral that enhances the effect of insulin in the body, potentially decreasing insulin resistance. Many, though not all, studies have shown that supplementing with chromium improves blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes.
An ECG measures the electrical impulses associated with the contraction and relaxation cycles of the heart muscles. A single cycle shows an ECG pattern of distinct changes that are named with the letters, P, Q, R, S, and T. The P wave reflects the contraction of the atria and the set of spikes and waves known as the QRST complex reflects the contraction of the ventricles. The duration of ventricular contraction, from initiation to relaxation, is measured by the length of the QRST complex and is known as the QTc interval. A number of studies have found that a long QTc interval is a strong risk factor for stroke, heart attack, and death.
The current research studied 50 people with type 2 diabetes who were managing their diabetes with diet alone and did not have evidence of serious complications such as heart or kidney failure. They were randomly assigned to receive either 1,000 mcg of chromium picolinate per day or placebo for three months. Each person then received the other treatment for a second three months. Physical exam, blood tests, and ECGs were performed at the beginning of the study, and after three and six months.
At the end of three months, insulin levels were significantly lower in the group using chromium than in the placebo group. The reduced insulin level was maintained in this group during the second three months of the study when they did not use chromium, suggesting that the effects of chromium supplementation persisted after treatment was stopped. The group that used chromium during the second three months had a similar drop in insulin levels by the end of the study. The QTc interval was also significantly shorter in the chromium group than in the placebo group at the end of the first three months. This reduction in QTc interval was maintained in the second three months, and the group that supplemented with chromium in the second three months had a similar reduction in the length of the QTc interval by the end of the study.
The results of this study show that supplementing with chromium can shorten the QTc interval in people with type 2 diabetes. This reduction in the length of the cardiac cycle is likely to indicate that the risk of heart disease has been reduced. Longer studies are needed to verify that chromium supplementation can have this benefit for people with high cardiac risk due to type 2 diabetes.
Maureen Williams, ND, received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University in Seattle, WA. She has a private practice in Quechee, VT, and does extensive work with traditional herbal medicine in Guatemala and Honduras. Dr. Williams is a regular contributor to Healthnotes Newswire.
White flour contains diabetes-causing contaminant alloxan:
You may want to think twice before eating your next sandwich on white bread. Studies show that alloxan, the chemical that makes white flour look "clean" and "beautiful," destroys the beta cells of the pancreas. That's right; you may be devastating your pancreas and putting yourself at risk for diabetes, all for the sake of eating "beautiful" flour. Is it worth it?
Scientists have known of the alloxan-diabetes connection for years; in fact, researchers who are studying diabetes commonly use the chemical to induce the disorder in Rats.
In the research sense, giving alloxan to an animal is similar to injecting that animal with a deadly virus, as both alloxan and the virus are being used specifically to cause illness. Every day, consumers ingest foods made with alloxan-contaminated flour. Would they just as willingly consume foods tainted with a deadly virus? Unless they had a death wish, they probably would not. Unfortunately, most consumers are unaware of alloxan and its potentially fatal link to diabetes because these facts are not well publicized by the food industry.
How does alloxan cause diabetes? According to Dr. Hari Sharma's Freedom from Disease, the uric acid derivative initiates free radical damage to DNA in the beta cells of the pancreas, causing the cells to malfunction and die. When these beta cells fail to operate normally, they no longer produce enough insulin, or in other words, they cause one variety of adult-onset type 2 diabetes. Alloxan's harmful effects on the pancreas are so severe that the Textbook of Natural Medicine calls the chemical "a potent beta-cell toxin." However, even though the toxic effect of alloxan is common scientific knowledge in the research community, the FDA still allows companies to use it when processing foods we ingest.
The FDA and the white flour industry could counter-argue that, if alloxan were to cause diabetes, a higher proportion of Americans would be diabetic. After all, more consumers consume white flour on a regular basis than are actually diabetic. This point is valid, but it does not disprove the alloxan-diabetes connection. While alloxan is one cause of adult-onset type 2 diabetes, it is of course not the only cause. As the Textbook of Natural Medicine states, "current theory suggests an hereditary beta-cell predisposition to injury coupled with some defect in tissue regeneration capacity" may be a key cause. For alloxan to cause injury to an individual's beta cells, the individual must have the genetic susceptibility to injury. This is similar to the connection between high-cholesterol foods and heart disease. Eating high-cholesterol foods causes heart disease, especially in people who have family histories of heart disease. The link between alloxan and diabetes is as clear and solid as the link between cholesterol and heart disease.
If you've been eating white bread for years and you have a family history of diabetes, all hope is not lost for you. Studies show that you can reverse the effects of alloxan by supplementing your diet with vitamin E. According to Dr. Gary Null's Clinicians Handbook of Natural Healing, vitamin E effectively protected lab rats from the harmful effects of administered alloxan. Now, you're not a lab rat, but you're a mammal and vitamin E is definitely worth adding to your daily regimen of nutritional supplements, especially if you have a history of eating foods made with white flour and are at high risk for diabetes.
Even if you are already diabetic, some simple changes to your diet can help treat your diabetes. First of all, stop eating foods made with white flour. Even though you already have diabetes, vitamin E supplements can still help you, as can many common foods. Garlic, for example, does wonders for diabetes. As Dr. Benjamin Lau states in his book Garlic for Health, "When fed garlic, the rabbits' elevated blood sugar dropped almost as much as it did when they were given the antidiabetic drug tolbutamide. Researchers postulated that garlic may improve the insulin effect."
If you can't handle the taste of natural garlic, you can take it in widely available supplements. Aloe vera is a traditional diabetic remedy in the Arabian Peninsula, and its therapeutic characteristics are now gaining worldwide acceptance in the treatment of diabetes. According to both human and animal research studies, aloe vera lowers blood glucose levels by an unknown mechanism. According to the Clinicians Handbook of Natural Healing, this natural hypoglycemic effect extended over a period of 24 hours. Adding onions to your diet (along with the garlic) can also significantly reduce your blood sugar level. Additionally, as Dr. Michael T. Murray writes in The Healing Power of Herbs, studies show that ginseng controls glucose in both diabetic humans and diabetic laboratory animals.
It all comes down to asking if putting yourself at risk for diabetic coma, blindness, limb amputation and death is worth eating white bread. If you're willing to risk your quality of life and your life itself, then go ahead and eat all the foods made with white flour you want. However, if you want to stop poisoning yourself with alloxan, a known toxic chemical, then make a few simple dietary changes. Eat groceries made with whole-grain wheat flour, not processed white flour.
cw
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Study: Slow Walking May Be Best for Obese
Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder have good news for walkers: Strolling can help obese adults burn more calories per mile than brisk walking and might even lower the risk of arthritis and injuries to the joints than picking up the pace.
Restaurant consultant John Imbergamo drives to work but he takes time for a daily walk, either through Washington Park near his home or from his office to clients downtown.
"I end up walking a lot. It's easier than getting in my car and driving, especially downtown," said the 6-foot-1 Imbergamo, who at 280 pounds says walking is his main form of exercise. "Hopefully walking helps me keep my weight where it is."
Colorado doctoral student Ray Browning and his colleagues studied 20 men and women of normal weight and 20 considered obese as they walked set distances at different speeds. They found the obese people burned more calories walking at a slower pace for a longer time than walking at a faster speed.
It might be just the incentive needed for people turned off by the traditional advice to take at least five brisk walks, 30 minutes at a time, per week.
About 60 million Americans age 20 or older are considered obese, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Their health care costs amount to about $100 billion a year, according to the American Obesity Association.
Browning says vigorous exercise can decrease the risk of heart disease and other chronic illnesses, but a slow walk can help people stay active while easing the stress on their joints. Obese adults are more at risk for knee osteoarthritis, which can cause painful stiffness.
"We're not at all advocating less physical activity, or less vigorous activity. We're just saying slow walking might be a way to burn a few extra calories a week," said Browning, a former professional triathlete.
Browning's team is trying to expand on the idea that walking at a more leisurely pace puts less stress on a person's lower body.
Another study is aimed at unlocking a surprise the Colorado researchers came across:
Previous research showed that a person of normal weight who tried to emulate an obese person by wearing leg weights and walking with a wider leg swing spent 50 percent to 100 percent more energy to walk. But in the latest study, the team found obese individuals spent only about 10 percent more energy than their lighter counterparts.
"Does someone with obesity walk differently than the way normal people walk? Do they do something to make it cheaper to walk? It appears they do something in the walking pattern to make it cheaper," Browning said, meaning they burn fewer calories.
His team guessed that obese people may walk with a straighter leg so the skeleton — rather than muscles — support their weight, or that they walk with shorter, faster steps. It could be a year or two to find an answer.
"People have speculated on whether differences in the cost of energy expenditure are a factor in weight gain. He's got a way to measure that now," said James Hill, head of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado at Denver.
If researchers can unlock the answer, they can find ways for people to spend more energy simply by walking — and sometimes by walking slowly.
"The message we need to give people is, get out and walk," said Hill, whose group America on the Move encourages walking and small cutbacks in calories to lose weight. "Any speed is fine. Some speeds are better than others, but get out and do it."
___
On the Net:
University of Colorado: http://www.colorado.edu
American Obesity Association: http://www.obesity.org
CW
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Restaurant consultant John Imbergamo drives to work but he takes time for a daily walk, either through Washington Park near his home or from his office to clients downtown.
"I end up walking a lot. It's easier than getting in my car and driving, especially downtown," said the 6-foot-1 Imbergamo, who at 280 pounds says walking is his main form of exercise. "Hopefully walking helps me keep my weight where it is."
Colorado doctoral student Ray Browning and his colleagues studied 20 men and women of normal weight and 20 considered obese as they walked set distances at different speeds. They found the obese people burned more calories walking at a slower pace for a longer time than walking at a faster speed.
It might be just the incentive needed for people turned off by the traditional advice to take at least five brisk walks, 30 minutes at a time, per week.
About 60 million Americans age 20 or older are considered obese, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Their health care costs amount to about $100 billion a year, according to the American Obesity Association.
Browning says vigorous exercise can decrease the risk of heart disease and other chronic illnesses, but a slow walk can help people stay active while easing the stress on their joints. Obese adults are more at risk for knee osteoarthritis, which can cause painful stiffness.
"We're not at all advocating less physical activity, or less vigorous activity. We're just saying slow walking might be a way to burn a few extra calories a week," said Browning, a former professional triathlete.
Browning's team is trying to expand on the idea that walking at a more leisurely pace puts less stress on a person's lower body.
Another study is aimed at unlocking a surprise the Colorado researchers came across:
Previous research showed that a person of normal weight who tried to emulate an obese person by wearing leg weights and walking with a wider leg swing spent 50 percent to 100 percent more energy to walk. But in the latest study, the team found obese individuals spent only about 10 percent more energy than their lighter counterparts.
"Does someone with obesity walk differently than the way normal people walk? Do they do something to make it cheaper to walk? It appears they do something in the walking pattern to make it cheaper," Browning said, meaning they burn fewer calories.
His team guessed that obese people may walk with a straighter leg so the skeleton — rather than muscles — support their weight, or that they walk with shorter, faster steps. It could be a year or two to find an answer.
"People have speculated on whether differences in the cost of energy expenditure are a factor in weight gain. He's got a way to measure that now," said James Hill, head of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado at Denver.
If researchers can unlock the answer, they can find ways for people to spend more energy simply by walking — and sometimes by walking slowly.
"The message we need to give people is, get out and walk," said Hill, whose group America on the Move encourages walking and small cutbacks in calories to lose weight. "Any speed is fine. Some speeds are better than others, but get out and do it."
___
On the Net:
University of Colorado: http://www.colorado.edu
American Obesity Association: http://www.obesity.org
CW
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Diabetes, obesity seen as accelerated aging
This study reported by the Life Extension Foundation - supports my own conclusions about a cluster of diseases that are really just symptoms of one big disease, Hyperinsulinemia or Metabolic Syndrome. The best way to treat this syndrome, unlike the authors conclusion, is to change the way you eat to a very low Glycemic, moderate protein diet like the one listed on my webpage www.cwiechert.com
Here is the report:
The July 2005 issue of the journal Nature Reviews Drug Discovery (http://www.nature.com/nrd) published a review by Rory Curtis, Bard J Geesaman and Peter DiSefano of Elixir Pharmaceuticals that documents the links between the aging process and metabolic disease. The authors suggest that as an alternative to targeting individual diseases that occur with aging, aging itself can be targeted to treat its associated conditions.
The authors show that the regulation of aging and energy homeostasis share molecular pathways. Many of the genes recently discovered that can be manipulated to slow the aging process belong to pathways involved in the control of metabolism. Energy homeostasis dysregulation occurs during the aging process, when aged men and women experience a reduced ratio of lean to fat mass, and a redistribution of fat from subcutaneous to visceral areas that surround the internal organs located in the body’s trunk. This leads to decreased insulin sensitivity and increased serum insulin, which can result in the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Among younger individuals who have increased visceral fat mass there is a greater risk of the development of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, gallbladder disease, neurodegenerative disease, and a number of cancers, all of which are associated with aging.
Degree of obesity has been found to be inversely correlated with life expectancy. Calorie restriction, which has been the most successful means so far to extend the lifespan of numerous species, prevents obesity and has been demonstrated to postpone many signs of aging and protect against a number of age-related diseases. This life extending therapy also has been shown to affect genes involved in energy metabolism. Calorie restriction, as well as genetically manipulating the insulin receptor in fat cells, prevents visceral obesity and its consequent insulin resistance and elevated insulin levels, in addition to extending lifespan.
The authors believe that this knowledge will aid in the development of drugs that could not only treat diabetes, obesity and other metabolic conditions, but slow the aging process itself and extend lifespan. Professor of Molecular Biology John Kopchick, PhD, of the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Konneker Research Center, Ohio University, commented, "The article by DiStefano et al. will stimulate a paradigm shift in our thinking about aging and age-related disorders. As pointed out by the authors, we are beginning to recognize that metabolic syndrome, in addition to being a precursor of serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, may be a sign of premature aging. For patients, this translates into the potential of a variety of novel drugs emerging from the science of aging, which then will be tested clinically in the treatment of metabolic diseases. What an exciting possibility!"
Here is the Life Extension Foundations conclusions, and I agree.
Protocol
Obesity
There are several hormones that impact how many ingested calories are stored as body fat. If any of these hormones are out of balance, a person can gain weight even though they may eat less food. One hormone that exerts a significant effect on hunger and fat storage is insulin.
Insulin is produced by beta cells in the pancreas mainly in response to high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood. Insulin enables the liver to store excess serum glucose. Insulin also stimulates the liver to form fatty acids that are transported to adipose cells and stored as fat. The net effect of insulin is the storage of carbohydrate, protein, and fat in the body.
A poor diet can induce the pancreas to secrete large amounts of insulin. Aging people also experience metabolic disorders that cause the hypersecretion of insulin. Eventually the cells in the body become resistant to insulin (by decreasing the number of insulin receptors).
As cells become insulin resistant, the body stabilizes blood glucose by producing higher levels of insulin. The effect of high insulin production is weight gain. The long-term result is often Type II diabetes in which blood glucose levels become unstable even though insulin levels remain dangerously high.
As people accumulate excess body fat, they develop a chronic condition known as hyperinsulinemia, meaning the pancreas constantly secretes too much insulin and the body is unable to effectively utilize it.
CW
Here is the report:
The July 2005 issue of the journal Nature Reviews Drug Discovery (http://www.nature.com/nrd) published a review by Rory Curtis, Bard J Geesaman and Peter DiSefano of Elixir Pharmaceuticals that documents the links between the aging process and metabolic disease. The authors suggest that as an alternative to targeting individual diseases that occur with aging, aging itself can be targeted to treat its associated conditions.
The authors show that the regulation of aging and energy homeostasis share molecular pathways. Many of the genes recently discovered that can be manipulated to slow the aging process belong to pathways involved in the control of metabolism. Energy homeostasis dysregulation occurs during the aging process, when aged men and women experience a reduced ratio of lean to fat mass, and a redistribution of fat from subcutaneous to visceral areas that surround the internal organs located in the body’s trunk. This leads to decreased insulin sensitivity and increased serum insulin, which can result in the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Among younger individuals who have increased visceral fat mass there is a greater risk of the development of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, gallbladder disease, neurodegenerative disease, and a number of cancers, all of which are associated with aging.
Degree of obesity has been found to be inversely correlated with life expectancy. Calorie restriction, which has been the most successful means so far to extend the lifespan of numerous species, prevents obesity and has been demonstrated to postpone many signs of aging and protect against a number of age-related diseases. This life extending therapy also has been shown to affect genes involved in energy metabolism. Calorie restriction, as well as genetically manipulating the insulin receptor in fat cells, prevents visceral obesity and its consequent insulin resistance and elevated insulin levels, in addition to extending lifespan.
The authors believe that this knowledge will aid in the development of drugs that could not only treat diabetes, obesity and other metabolic conditions, but slow the aging process itself and extend lifespan. Professor of Molecular Biology John Kopchick, PhD, of the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Konneker Research Center, Ohio University, commented, "The article by DiStefano et al. will stimulate a paradigm shift in our thinking about aging and age-related disorders. As pointed out by the authors, we are beginning to recognize that metabolic syndrome, in addition to being a precursor of serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, may be a sign of premature aging. For patients, this translates into the potential of a variety of novel drugs emerging from the science of aging, which then will be tested clinically in the treatment of metabolic diseases. What an exciting possibility!"
Here is the Life Extension Foundations conclusions, and I agree.
Protocol
Obesity
There are several hormones that impact how many ingested calories are stored as body fat. If any of these hormones are out of balance, a person can gain weight even though they may eat less food. One hormone that exerts a significant effect on hunger and fat storage is insulin.
Insulin is produced by beta cells in the pancreas mainly in response to high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood. Insulin enables the liver to store excess serum glucose. Insulin also stimulates the liver to form fatty acids that are transported to adipose cells and stored as fat. The net effect of insulin is the storage of carbohydrate, protein, and fat in the body.
A poor diet can induce the pancreas to secrete large amounts of insulin. Aging people also experience metabolic disorders that cause the hypersecretion of insulin. Eventually the cells in the body become resistant to insulin (by decreasing the number of insulin receptors).
As cells become insulin resistant, the body stabilizes blood glucose by producing higher levels of insulin. The effect of high insulin production is weight gain. The long-term result is often Type II diabetes in which blood glucose levels become unstable even though insulin levels remain dangerously high.
As people accumulate excess body fat, they develop a chronic condition known as hyperinsulinemia, meaning the pancreas constantly secretes too much insulin and the body is unable to effectively utilize it.
CW
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Supplement use associated with positive health status and health-related behaviors
Life Extension Magazine 07-03-05
A study published in the July 2005 issue of the Journal of Nutrition (http://www.nutrition.org/) found that nutritional supplement users in Britain have a greater number of positive health status indicators and health-related behaviors than men and women who don't use supplements.
Researchers at Cambridge University evaluated data from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development, a longitudinal study of 5,362 individuals born in Great Britain in 1946. Information from the year 1999 was used for the current study, during which the participants were 53 years old. Subjects were interviewed concerning alcohol consumption, physical activity, and smoking, and five day food diaries completed by the participants provided information on dietary and supplement intake. Waist circumference, height, weight, and blood pressure were ascertained during physical examinations, and blood samples were measured for cholesterol, folate, iron and vitamin B12.
Forty-five percent of the women and 25 percent of the men in the study reported using supplements. Women were more likely to consume multinutrient supplements, vitamin E, GLA and vitamin B6, while a greater percentage of men than women reported using fish oil supplements. Men who reported participating in vigorous exercise were 50 percent more likely, and women 60 percent more likely to be supplement users than those who did who did not report this level of exercise. Female nonsmokers were 50 percent more likely to use supplements than those who smoked. Women who used supplements also had a lower body mass index, lower waist circumference, and greater plasma folate and vitamin B12 status than those who did not report using supplements. Individuals with healthier diets that included cereals, fruit, yogurt, oily fish and olive oil were more often supplement users than those who did not consume these foods.
The results of the study show that there is a clustering of healthy behaviors and positive cardiovascular risk factors among some individuals, particularly women. It also shows that those who could benefit the most from supplements may be the least likely to use them.
Protocol
Cardiovascular disease
In the last 25 years, the incidence of coronary fatalities has decreased 33%. This is due largely to avoiding the traditional risk factors. Dr. Paul M. Ridker, M.D., M.P.H. (director of cardiovascular research at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston), speculates that an auxiliary list of newer predictive factors may significantly increase the numbers benefiting from 21st century diagnostics and treatment (Ridker 1999a).
For the past 20 years, eclectic physicians have judged Syndrome X to be a powerful indicator of an eventual heart attack. For clarity, let it be understood that a syndrome represents clusters of symptoms. In Syndrome X, the symptoms are an inability to fully metabolize carbohydrates; hypertriglyceridemia; reduced HDL levels; smaller, denser LDL particles; increased blood pressure; visceral adiposity; disrupted coagulation factors; insulin resistance; hyperinsulinemia; and, often, increased levels of uric acid.
Omega-3 fatty acids help maintain flexible cell membranes (Igal et al. 1997). This is important, for healthy membranes contain large numbers of insulin receptors, increasing the surface areas available for insulin binding. This is extremely important in diabetes and Syndrome X.
A number of studies have shown the protective value of fish consumption in regard to averting coronary heart disease and the incidence of sudden cardiac death. For example, a recent study reported data collected from the Physicians' Health Study involving more than 22,000 men followed over a 17-year time frame. Researchers tested the blood of 94 male study volunteers who experienced an episode of sudden cardiac death (but in whom there was no prior history of heart disease) against 184 matched control study participants who did not experience a cardiac event.
On an average, men who died suddenly had lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Among the men with the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood, there was a 72% reduction in the risk of sudden cardiac death when compared to the men with the lowest levels of these substances in their blood (Albert et al. 2002; Wascher 2002).
CW
A study published in the July 2005 issue of the Journal of Nutrition (http://www.nutrition.org/) found that nutritional supplement users in Britain have a greater number of positive health status indicators and health-related behaviors than men and women who don't use supplements.
Researchers at Cambridge University evaluated data from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development, a longitudinal study of 5,362 individuals born in Great Britain in 1946. Information from the year 1999 was used for the current study, during which the participants were 53 years old. Subjects were interviewed concerning alcohol consumption, physical activity, and smoking, and five day food diaries completed by the participants provided information on dietary and supplement intake. Waist circumference, height, weight, and blood pressure were ascertained during physical examinations, and blood samples were measured for cholesterol, folate, iron and vitamin B12.
Forty-five percent of the women and 25 percent of the men in the study reported using supplements. Women were more likely to consume multinutrient supplements, vitamin E, GLA and vitamin B6, while a greater percentage of men than women reported using fish oil supplements. Men who reported participating in vigorous exercise were 50 percent more likely, and women 60 percent more likely to be supplement users than those who did who did not report this level of exercise. Female nonsmokers were 50 percent more likely to use supplements than those who smoked. Women who used supplements also had a lower body mass index, lower waist circumference, and greater plasma folate and vitamin B12 status than those who did not report using supplements. Individuals with healthier diets that included cereals, fruit, yogurt, oily fish and olive oil were more often supplement users than those who did not consume these foods.
The results of the study show that there is a clustering of healthy behaviors and positive cardiovascular risk factors among some individuals, particularly women. It also shows that those who could benefit the most from supplements may be the least likely to use them.
Protocol
Cardiovascular disease
In the last 25 years, the incidence of coronary fatalities has decreased 33%. This is due largely to avoiding the traditional risk factors. Dr. Paul M. Ridker, M.D., M.P.H. (director of cardiovascular research at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston), speculates that an auxiliary list of newer predictive factors may significantly increase the numbers benefiting from 21st century diagnostics and treatment (Ridker 1999a).
For the past 20 years, eclectic physicians have judged Syndrome X to be a powerful indicator of an eventual heart attack. For clarity, let it be understood that a syndrome represents clusters of symptoms. In Syndrome X, the symptoms are an inability to fully metabolize carbohydrates; hypertriglyceridemia; reduced HDL levels; smaller, denser LDL particles; increased blood pressure; visceral adiposity; disrupted coagulation factors; insulin resistance; hyperinsulinemia; and, often, increased levels of uric acid.
Omega-3 fatty acids help maintain flexible cell membranes (Igal et al. 1997). This is important, for healthy membranes contain large numbers of insulin receptors, increasing the surface areas available for insulin binding. This is extremely important in diabetes and Syndrome X.
A number of studies have shown the protective value of fish consumption in regard to averting coronary heart disease and the incidence of sudden cardiac death. For example, a recent study reported data collected from the Physicians' Health Study involving more than 22,000 men followed over a 17-year time frame. Researchers tested the blood of 94 male study volunteers who experienced an episode of sudden cardiac death (but in whom there was no prior history of heart disease) against 184 matched control study participants who did not experience a cardiac event.
On an average, men who died suddenly had lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Among the men with the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood, there was a 72% reduction in the risk of sudden cardiac death when compared to the men with the lowest levels of these substances in their blood (Albert et al. 2002; Wascher 2002).
Comment: There is just too much proof at this point, that a high quality multi-vitamin with lots of anti-oxidants like Double X, and a separate fish oil supplement containing Omega 3 Fatty Acids, can not only improve your quality of life now, but can prevent or slow down the effects of aging and the progress of disease later.
CW
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Friday, July 01, 2005
NOT MILK
A new study links milk drinking with insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome. The British Women's Heart and Health Study examined 4,024 British women aged 60-79. The metabolic syndrome was defined as including diabetes or prediabetic states, along with at least two of the following: obesity, hypertension, and lipid disorders (high triglycerides, low HDL). Those who avoided milk were about half as likely to have the metabolic syndrome, compared to milk drinkers: The age-adjusted odds ratio for the metabolic syndrome was 0.55 (95% CI, 0.33 – 0.94).
The researchers conclude that individuals who do not drink milk may be protected against insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome, but note that controlled trials are required to establish cause and effect.
Lawlor DA, Ebrahim S, Timpson N, Davey Smith G. Avoiding milk is associated with a reduced risk of insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome: findings from the British Women's Heart and Health Study. Diabet Med. 2005;22:808-11.
CW
The researchers conclude that individuals who do not drink milk may be protected against insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome, but note that controlled trials are required to establish cause and effect.
Lawlor DA, Ebrahim S, Timpson N, Davey Smith G. Avoiding milk is associated with a reduced risk of insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome: findings from the British Women's Heart and Health Study. Diabet Med. 2005;22:808-11.
Comment: Milk is high in lactose, a milk sugar that along with sucrose, fructose and glucose, are all associated with raising blood sugar levels and Hyperinsulinism. Milk is designed by nature to be used during the initial growth stages of mammals, and is not needed after weaning. If you do use dairy in your diet, use products that are slower sugar releasers like hard cheeses, low fat cottage cheese, whole or low fat yogurt and heavy cream and butter, which have little or no carbs. Prepared yogurt's with fruit added have huge amounts of sugars, including lactose, sugrose, fructose and high fructose corn syrup, which is the worst of all added sugars associated with Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity.
CW
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Monday, June 27, 2005
News
The Cure for Lyme Disease?
After 13 years of suffering with Lyme disease, a possible cure has been stumbled upon. A cumulative effect of much research has produced the possibility that salt and vitamin C may be all that is needed to beat this elusive illness. Read report
CoQ10 Study
Serum concentration of lipoprotein(a) decreases on treatment with hydrosoluble coenzyme Q10 in patients with coronary artery disease: discovery of a new role.
Singh RB, Niaz MA.
Centre of Nutrition, Medical Hospital and Research Centre, Moradabad, India.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on serum lipoprotein(a) in patients with acute coronary disease.
STUDY DESIGN: Randomized double blind placebo controlled trial.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Subjects with clinical diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, angina pectoris (based on WHO criteria) with moderately raised lipoprotein(a) were randomized to either coenzyme Q10 as Q-Gel (60 mg twice daily) (coenzyme Q10 group, n=25) or placebo (placebo group, n=22) for a period of 28 days.
Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Randomized Controlled Trial
PMID: 10077397 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Green Tea
Green tea seems to help protect the body from autoimmune disorders, according to a Medical College of Georgia oral biologist.
Dr. Stephen Hsu, a researcher in the MCG School of Dentistry, has amassed a large bank of research helping document green tea's health benefits in everything from oral cancer to wrinkles.
As an added benefit, a green tea-induced protein called p57 protects healthy cells as polyphenols target cancer cells for destruction.
Dr. Hsu's most recent findings, which he will present June 17-20 in Atlanta at the Arthritis Foundation's fifth biennial Arthritis Research Conference, target autoimmune diseases.
These diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and Sjogren's disease, inexplicably prime the body's immune system to attack its own tissues, with often disabling and even life-threatening consequences.
Dry mouth occurs in about 30 percent of elderly Americans, but only in 1 percent to 2 percent of Chinese seniors.
Dr. Hsu is probing green tea's role in producing autoantigens.
Autoantigens are normal molecules in the body with useful functions, but changes in their amount or location can trigger an immune response.
He suspected a link because a polyphenol called EGCG is known to suppress inflammation, which results when the immune system mounts a defense to a real or perceived enemy.
"We were so shocked," Dr. Hsu said of the finding that further highlighted green tea's role in attacking tumor cells while protecting healthy cells.
And because of the low levels of autoantigens in healthy cells, "the immune system now has considerably fewer targets to potentially attack," greatly reducing the risk of autoimmune disease, Dr. Hsu said.
The Medical College of Georgia is the state's health sciences university and includes the Schools of Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Studies, Medicine and Nursing.
CW
After 13 years of suffering with Lyme disease, a possible cure has been stumbled upon. A cumulative effect of much research has produced the possibility that salt and vitamin C may be all that is needed to beat this elusive illness. Read report
CoQ10 Study
Serum concentration of lipoprotein(a) decreases on treatment with hydrosoluble coenzyme Q10 in patients with coronary artery disease: discovery of a new role.
Singh RB, Niaz MA.
Centre of Nutrition, Medical Hospital and Research Centre, Moradabad, India.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on serum lipoprotein(a) in patients with acute coronary disease.
STUDY DESIGN: Randomized double blind placebo controlled trial.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Subjects with clinical diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, angina pectoris (based on WHO criteria) with moderately raised lipoprotein(a) were randomized to either coenzyme Q10 as Q-Gel (60 mg twice daily) (coenzyme Q10 group, n=25) or placebo (placebo group, n=22) for a period of 28 days.
RESULTS: Serum lipoprotein(a) showed significant reduction in the coenzyme Q10 group compared with the placebo group (31.0% vs 8.2% P<0.001) with a net reduction of 22.6% attributed to coenzyme Q10. HDL cholesterol showed a significant increase in the intervention group without affecting total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and blood glucose showed a significant reduction in the coenzyme Q10 group. Coenzyme Q10 supplementation was also associated with significant reductions in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, malon/dialdehyde and diene conjugates, indicating an overall decrease in oxidative stress.
CONCLUSION: Supplementation with hydrosoluble coenzyme Q10 (Q-Gel) decreases lipoprotein(a) concentration in patients with acute coronary disease.
Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Randomized Controlled Trial
PMID: 10077397 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Green Tea
Green tea seems to help protect the body from autoimmune disorders, according to a Medical College of Georgia oral biologist.
Dr. Stephen Hsu, a researcher in the MCG School of Dentistry, has amassed a large bank of research helping document green tea's health benefits in everything from oral cancer to wrinkles.
As an added benefit, a green tea-induced protein called p57 protects healthy cells as polyphenols target cancer cells for destruction.
Dr. Hsu's most recent findings, which he will present June 17-20 in Atlanta at the Arthritis Foundation's fifth biennial Arthritis Research Conference, target autoimmune diseases.
These diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and Sjogren's disease, inexplicably prime the body's immune system to attack its own tissues, with often disabling and even life-threatening consequences.
Dry mouth occurs in about 30 percent of elderly Americans, but only in 1 percent to 2 percent of Chinese seniors.
Dr. Hsu is probing green tea's role in producing autoantigens.
Autoantigens are normal molecules in the body with useful functions, but changes in their amount or location can trigger an immune response.
He suspected a link because a polyphenol called EGCG is known to suppress inflammation, which results when the immune system mounts a defense to a real or perceived enemy.
"We were so shocked," Dr. Hsu said of the finding that further highlighted green tea's role in attacking tumor cells while protecting healthy cells.
And because of the low levels of autoantigens in healthy cells, "the immune system now has considerably fewer targets to potentially attack," greatly reducing the risk of autoimmune disease, Dr. Hsu said.
The Medical College of Georgia is the state's health sciences university and includes the Schools of Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Studies, Medicine and Nursing.
CW
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Study: Extra Folic Acid May Help Memory
By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer
Tue Jun 21, 7:33 AM ET
High-dose folic acid pills — providing as much of the nutrient as 2.5 pounds of strawberries — might help slow the cognitive decline of aging. So says a Dutch study that's the first to show a vitamin could really improve memory.
The research, unveiled Monday at a meeting of Alzheimer's researchers, adds to mounting evidence that a diet higher in folate is important for a variety of health effects. It's already proven to reduce birth defects, and research suggests it helps ward off heart disease and strokes, too.
The new study doesn't show folic acid could prevent Alzheimer's — the people who tested the vitamin didn't have symptoms of that disease.
But as people age, some decline in memory and other brain functions is inevitable. Taking 800 micrograms of folic acid a day slowed that brain drain, reported lead researcher Jane Durga of Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
In the study, 818 cognitively healthy people ages 50 to 75 swallowed either folic acid or a dummy pill for three years.
On memory tests, the supplement users had scores comparable to people 5.5 years younger, Durga said. On tests of cognitive speed, the folic acid helped users perform as well as people 1.9 years younger.
That's significant brain protection, with a supplement that's already well-known to be safe, said Johns Hopkins University neuroscientist Marilyn Albert, who chairs the Alzheimer's Association's science advisory council.
"I think I would take folic acid, assuming my doctor said it was OK," Albert said. "We know Alzheimer's disease, the pathology, begins many, many years before the symptoms. We ought to be thinking about the health of our brain the same way we think about the health of our heart."
Indeed, there's enough research now suggesting that there are ways to gird the brain against age-related memory loss and Alzheimer's that the association has begun offering classes to teach people the techniques.
Topping the list:
_Exercise your brain. Using it in unusual ways increases blood flow and helps the brain wire new connections. That's important to build up what's called cognitive reserve, an ability to adapt to or withstand the damage of Alzheimer's a little longer.
In youth, that means good education. Later in life, do puzzles, learn to play chess, take classes.
_Stay socially stimulated. Declining social interaction with age predicts declining cognitive function.
_Exercise your body. Bad memory is linked to heart disease and diabetes because clogged arteries slow blood flow in the brain.
Experts recommend going for the triple-whammy of something mentally, physically and socially stimulating all at once: Coach your child's ball team. Take a dance class. Strategize a round of golf.
Diet's also important. While Alzheimer's researchers have long recommended a heart-healthy diet as good for the brain, Monday's folic acid study is the first to test the advice directly.
Previous studies have shown that people with low folate levels in their blood are more at risk for both heart disease and diminished cognitive function.
Durga said it's not clear how folic acid might work to protect the brain. Some studies suggest folate lowers inflammation; others suggest it may play a role in expression of dementia-related genes.
Folate is found in such foods as oranges and strawberries, dark-green leafy vegetables and beans. In the United States, it also is added to cereal and flour products. The recommended daily dose here is 400 micrograms; doctors advise women of childbearing age to take a supplement to ensure they get that much.
CW
Tue Jun 21, 7:33 AM ET
High-dose folic acid pills — providing as much of the nutrient as 2.5 pounds of strawberries — might help slow the cognitive decline of aging. So says a Dutch study that's the first to show a vitamin could really improve memory.
The research, unveiled Monday at a meeting of Alzheimer's researchers, adds to mounting evidence that a diet higher in folate is important for a variety of health effects. It's already proven to reduce birth defects, and research suggests it helps ward off heart disease and strokes, too.
The new study doesn't show folic acid could prevent Alzheimer's — the people who tested the vitamin didn't have symptoms of that disease.
But as people age, some decline in memory and other brain functions is inevitable. Taking 800 micrograms of folic acid a day slowed that brain drain, reported lead researcher Jane Durga of Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
In the study, 818 cognitively healthy people ages 50 to 75 swallowed either folic acid or a dummy pill for three years.
On memory tests, the supplement users had scores comparable to people 5.5 years younger, Durga said. On tests of cognitive speed, the folic acid helped users perform as well as people 1.9 years younger.
That's significant brain protection, with a supplement that's already well-known to be safe, said Johns Hopkins University neuroscientist Marilyn Albert, who chairs the Alzheimer's Association's science advisory council.
"I think I would take folic acid, assuming my doctor said it was OK," Albert said. "We know Alzheimer's disease, the pathology, begins many, many years before the symptoms. We ought to be thinking about the health of our brain the same way we think about the health of our heart."
Indeed, there's enough research now suggesting that there are ways to gird the brain against age-related memory loss and Alzheimer's that the association has begun offering classes to teach people the techniques.
Topping the list:
_Exercise your brain. Using it in unusual ways increases blood flow and helps the brain wire new connections. That's important to build up what's called cognitive reserve, an ability to adapt to or withstand the damage of Alzheimer's a little longer.
In youth, that means good education. Later in life, do puzzles, learn to play chess, take classes.
_Stay socially stimulated. Declining social interaction with age predicts declining cognitive function.
_Exercise your body. Bad memory is linked to heart disease and diabetes because clogged arteries slow blood flow in the brain.
Experts recommend going for the triple-whammy of something mentally, physically and socially stimulating all at once: Coach your child's ball team. Take a dance class. Strategize a round of golf.
Diet's also important. While Alzheimer's researchers have long recommended a heart-healthy diet as good for the brain, Monday's folic acid study is the first to test the advice directly.
Previous studies have shown that people with low folate levels in their blood are more at risk for both heart disease and diminished cognitive function.
Durga said it's not clear how folic acid might work to protect the brain. Some studies suggest folate lowers inflammation; others suggest it may play a role in expression of dementia-related genes.
Folate is found in such foods as oranges and strawberries, dark-green leafy vegetables and beans. In the United States, it also is added to cereal and flour products. The recommended daily dose here is 400 micrograms; doctors advise women of childbearing age to take a supplement to ensure they get that much.
CW
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Monday, June 20, 2005
OK, HERE YOU GO LADIES - HOW TO LOOK 6 YEARS YOUNGER OVERNIGHT
Grapefruit May Make Women Seem Younger
A study of smells shows that the scent of grapefruit on women make them seem younger to men — about six years younger
However, a grapefruit fragrance on men does nothing for them.
The study by the Smell and Taste Institute in Chicago was conducted to determine what makes a women smell young — but not too young, like pink bubble gum.
Institute director Alan Hirsch said he smeared several middle-aged woman with broccoli, banana, spearmint leaves, and lavender but none of those scents made a difference to the men.
But the scent of grapefruit changed men's perceptions. Hirsch said that when male volunteers were asked to write down how old the woman with grapefruit odor was, the age was considerably less than reality.
cw
A study of smells shows that the scent of grapefruit on women make them seem younger to men — about six years younger
However, a grapefruit fragrance on men does nothing for them.
The study by the Smell and Taste Institute in Chicago was conducted to determine what makes a women smell young — but not too young, like pink bubble gum.
Institute director Alan Hirsch said he smeared several middle-aged woman with broccoli, banana, spearmint leaves, and lavender but none of those scents made a difference to the men.
But the scent of grapefruit changed men's perceptions. Hirsch said that when male volunteers were asked to write down how old the woman with grapefruit odor was, the age was considerably less than reality.
cw
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Friday, June 17, 2005
Chromium picolinate significantly reduces weight gain associated with common antidiabetic medication
Chromium picolinate significantly reduces weight gain associated with common antidiabetic medication, according to a study released today. Researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center (PBRC), who conducted the study, also found that chromium significantly improved blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity.
These findings are important because more than 80 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are also overweight and chromium picolinate is easily available as a nutrition therapy in retail stores. People with diabetes who are overweight face an increased risk of disease-related complications including cardiovascular disease. PBRC researchers presented their findings at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 65th Annual Scientific Sessions in San Diego, CA.
The randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study, which was performed in collaboration with the University of Vermont College of Medicine, was designed to examine the effect of adding daily chromium picolinate supplementation to regimens consisting of oral antidiabetic medications, i.e. sulfonylureas. Specifically, a sulfonylurea, a commonly prescribed first line of treatment for type 2 diabetes, was given to 27 subjects initially for a three-month period. The subjects were then randomized to continue taking the medication alone for 6 additional months with or without chromium picolinate. The study participants who took 1,000 mcg of Chromax chromium picolinate in combination with the antidiabetic medication experienced significantly lower body fat accumulation (0.12%) than the group taking medication and placebo (1.1%), particularly in the abdomen area. The study also found those taking chromium gained less weight (0.8kg versus 2.2 kg) and experienced an increase in fat free mass, when compared with the placebo group.
"It would be very advantageous, from a clinical perspective, to have a regimen to improve glucose levels and minimize weight gain in our subjects with diabetes associated with the chronic administration of prescription medications. The impact of chromium picolinate on weight gain, particularly weight gain in the abdominal area, is important as research shows that increased abdominal fat is associated with a greater risk for health complications, such as cardiovascular disease," said study investigator, William Cefalu, MD, chief of the Center's Division of Nutrition and Chronic Diseases.
The study also found that chromium picolinate taken in combination with antidiabetic medication significantly improved both insulin sensitivity (assessed with hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamps using stable isotopes) and glucose control. Blood sugar levels of study participants taking chromium picolinate in combination with antidiabetic medication dropped significantly (0.7%-greater point drop in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C), a marker for long term blood sugar control) compared to the placebo group. Additionally, subjects taking chromium picolinate had significant increases in glucose disposal.
"The results add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that chromium may serve as a safe and effective adjunct therapy to medication in helping to better manage blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes," said Dr. Cefalu.
The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is a campus of the Louisiana State University System and conducts both clinical and basic research. It is the largest academically based nutrition research center in the world, with the greatest number of obesity researchers on faculty. The Center's nearly 600 employees occupy several buildings on the 234-acre campus.
cw
These findings are important because more than 80 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are also overweight and chromium picolinate is easily available as a nutrition therapy in retail stores. People with diabetes who are overweight face an increased risk of disease-related complications including cardiovascular disease. PBRC researchers presented their findings at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 65th Annual Scientific Sessions in San Diego, CA.
The randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study, which was performed in collaboration with the University of Vermont College of Medicine, was designed to examine the effect of adding daily chromium picolinate supplementation to regimens consisting of oral antidiabetic medications, i.e. sulfonylureas. Specifically, a sulfonylurea, a commonly prescribed first line of treatment for type 2 diabetes, was given to 27 subjects initially for a three-month period. The subjects were then randomized to continue taking the medication alone for 6 additional months with or without chromium picolinate. The study participants who took 1,000 mcg of Chromax chromium picolinate in combination with the antidiabetic medication experienced significantly lower body fat accumulation (0.12%) than the group taking medication and placebo (1.1%), particularly in the abdomen area. The study also found those taking chromium gained less weight (0.8kg versus 2.2 kg) and experienced an increase in fat free mass, when compared with the placebo group.
"It would be very advantageous, from a clinical perspective, to have a regimen to improve glucose levels and minimize weight gain in our subjects with diabetes associated with the chronic administration of prescription medications. The impact of chromium picolinate on weight gain, particularly weight gain in the abdominal area, is important as research shows that increased abdominal fat is associated with a greater risk for health complications, such as cardiovascular disease," said study investigator, William Cefalu, MD, chief of the Center's Division of Nutrition and Chronic Diseases.
The study also found that chromium picolinate taken in combination with antidiabetic medication significantly improved both insulin sensitivity (assessed with hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamps using stable isotopes) and glucose control. Blood sugar levels of study participants taking chromium picolinate in combination with antidiabetic medication dropped significantly (0.7%-greater point drop in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C), a marker for long term blood sugar control) compared to the placebo group. Additionally, subjects taking chromium picolinate had significant increases in glucose disposal.
"The results add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that chromium may serve as a safe and effective adjunct therapy to medication in helping to better manage blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes," said Dr. Cefalu.
The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is a campus of the Louisiana State University System and conducts both clinical and basic research. It is the largest academically based nutrition research center in the world, with the greatest number of obesity researchers on faculty. The Center's nearly 600 employees occupy several buildings on the 234-acre campus.
cw
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Low-glycemic may be better than low-fat
By Alison McCook
Mon Jun 6, 2:46 PM ET
Foods with a low-glycemic index, which are digested relatively slowly and cause smaller increases in blood sugar, may protect the heart and blood vessels better than low-fat fare, according to the findings of a small study.
Researchers in Boston found that when obese people consumed as many carbohydrates with a low-glycemic index as they wanted, they lost just as much weight in 12 months as people who stuck with a conventional, calorie-restricted low-fat diet.
Carbohydrates with a low-glycemic index include foods such as nonstarchy vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts and diary products, according to the report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Dieters who watched their glycemic indices also experienced a larger decrease in fatty substances in the blood linked to heart disease and had a drop in levels of a protein that interferes with the body's ability to break down blood clots. In contrast, low-fat dieters had an increase in levels of the same protein, which may put them at higher risk of heart attack.
"Reducing (glycemic index) may be more effective than cutting back on fat over the long-term, both for weight loss and also for reducing risk of heart disease," study author Dr. David S. Ludwig told Reuters Health.
"Based on our results, and several dozen other clinical trials and epidemiological studies, I would recommend" eating foods with a low-glycemic index, added Ludwig, who is based at Children's Hospital.
The glycemic index measures how efficiently the body can metabolize carbohydrates. It ranks carbohydrates by how much a person's blood sugar rises immediately after eating, and tends to favor high-fiber foods that take longer to digest.
Ludwig and his team asked 23 obese young adults to follow either a low-fat diet or a diet in which they ate low-glycemic index foods for one year. As part of the low-glycemic index diet, people could eat as much as they wanted of foods with a low index, and got roughly 45 to 50 percent of calories from carbohydrates, and 30 to 35 percent from fat.
Low-fat dieters cut their daily intake by 250 to 500 calories, limited fat to less than 30 percent of their total calories, and got between 55 and 60 percent of calories from carbohydrates.
Ludwig noted that even though low-glycemic index dieters had no calorie limits, they likely didn't overeat because they felt less hunger after eating foods that take longer to digest.
"Numerous previous studies by our group and by others have shown that individuals feel less hunger and greater (sense of fullness) after low-glycemic index compared to high-glycemic index meals," he added.
SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, May 2005.
CW
Mon Jun 6, 2:46 PM ET
Foods with a low-glycemic index, which are digested relatively slowly and cause smaller increases in blood sugar, may protect the heart and blood vessels better than low-fat fare, according to the findings of a small study.
Researchers in Boston found that when obese people consumed as many carbohydrates with a low-glycemic index as they wanted, they lost just as much weight in 12 months as people who stuck with a conventional, calorie-restricted low-fat diet.
Carbohydrates with a low-glycemic index include foods such as nonstarchy vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts and diary products, according to the report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Dieters who watched their glycemic indices also experienced a larger decrease in fatty substances in the blood linked to heart disease and had a drop in levels of a protein that interferes with the body's ability to break down blood clots. In contrast, low-fat dieters had an increase in levels of the same protein, which may put them at higher risk of heart attack.
"Reducing (glycemic index) may be more effective than cutting back on fat over the long-term, both for weight loss and also for reducing risk of heart disease," study author Dr. David S. Ludwig told Reuters Health.
"Based on our results, and several dozen other clinical trials and epidemiological studies, I would recommend" eating foods with a low-glycemic index, added Ludwig, who is based at Children's Hospital.
The glycemic index measures how efficiently the body can metabolize carbohydrates. It ranks carbohydrates by how much a person's blood sugar rises immediately after eating, and tends to favor high-fiber foods that take longer to digest.
Ludwig and his team asked 23 obese young adults to follow either a low-fat diet or a diet in which they ate low-glycemic index foods for one year. As part of the low-glycemic index diet, people could eat as much as they wanted of foods with a low index, and got roughly 45 to 50 percent of calories from carbohydrates, and 30 to 35 percent from fat.
Low-fat dieters cut their daily intake by 250 to 500 calories, limited fat to less than 30 percent of their total calories, and got between 55 and 60 percent of calories from carbohydrates.
Ludwig noted that even though low-glycemic index dieters had no calorie limits, they likely didn't overeat because they felt less hunger after eating foods that take longer to digest.
"Numerous previous studies by our group and by others have shown that individuals feel less hunger and greater (sense of fullness) after low-glycemic index compared to high-glycemic index meals," he added.
SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, May 2005.
Comment: This study only supports what we have known and experienced for many years. Increasing blood sugar fast, causes too much insulin release, and insulin changes excess sugar into fat, increases inflammation, and increases our hunger so we eat more of what's bad for us. This issue is epidemic today globally, and is called Syndrome X, Hyperinsulinemia and or Metabolic Syndrome. Learn more.
CW
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Monday, June 06, 2005
Low zinc may impact physical performance
06/06/2005 - Low zinc levels may impact physical performance, suggests a small study.
The role of zinc during exercise is not well understood but some zinc-containing enzymes are thought to regulate energy expenditure.
The new trial, although small, suggests that more research should be done on the mineral and its impact on the cardiorespiratory function. It may be an important nutrient for sports nutrition.
A team from the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service tested the effects of low zinc intake on the physical performance of 14 men aged 20 to 31 years old.
They looked in particular at the effects on the carbonic anhydrase enzyme, found in red blood cells and influential on the body's removal of carbon dioxide, and cardiorespiratory function during exercise.
The men were split into two groups and fed either a diet containing only 3.8mg of zinc per day, or a diet supplemented with 18.7 mg of the mineral. They followed the diet for nine weeks, and after a six-week washout period, switched to the alternative diet.
The researchers tested physical performance on two types of exercist tests on a cycle ergometer.
They report in the May issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (vol 81, No. 5, 1045-1051) that peak oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide output, and respiratory exchange ratio were lower when the men had a restricted zinc intake than during the supplement phase.
Blood tests showed that when the men were on the low-zinc diet, the activity of the carbonic anhydrase enzymes in red blood cells was reduced.
This could explain the poorer muscle strength and increased tiredness seen in previous studies on zinc.
“These findings indicate that low dietary zinc is associated with significant reductions in zinc status, including red blood cell carbonic anhydrase activities, and impaired metabolic responses during exercise,” conclude the authors.
cw
The role of zinc during exercise is not well understood but some zinc-containing enzymes are thought to regulate energy expenditure.
The new trial, although small, suggests that more research should be done on the mineral and its impact on the cardiorespiratory function. It may be an important nutrient for sports nutrition.
A team from the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service tested the effects of low zinc intake on the physical performance of 14 men aged 20 to 31 years old.
They looked in particular at the effects on the carbonic anhydrase enzyme, found in red blood cells and influential on the body's removal of carbon dioxide, and cardiorespiratory function during exercise.
The men were split into two groups and fed either a diet containing only 3.8mg of zinc per day, or a diet supplemented with 18.7 mg of the mineral. They followed the diet for nine weeks, and after a six-week washout period, switched to the alternative diet.
The researchers tested physical performance on two types of exercist tests on a cycle ergometer.
They report in the May issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (vol 81, No. 5, 1045-1051) that peak oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide output, and respiratory exchange ratio were lower when the men had a restricted zinc intake than during the supplement phase.
Blood tests showed that when the men were on the low-zinc diet, the activity of the carbonic anhydrase enzymes in red blood cells was reduced.
This could explain the poorer muscle strength and increased tiredness seen in previous studies on zinc.
“These findings indicate that low dietary zinc is associated with significant reductions in zinc status, including red blood cell carbonic anhydrase activities, and impaired metabolic responses during exercise,” conclude the authors.
Comment: Zinc is also believed to play an important role in preventing or treating the following conditions:NSI L-Optizinc
Acne
Acrodermatitis enteropathica
Childhood intelligence (for deficiency)
Common cold (using lozenges with 15 to 25 mg of zinc glucanate, glycine or acetate)
Contact dermatitis (using zinc sulfate)
Down’s syndrome
Infertility (male) (for deficiency)
Improve studented growth in children (usually in developing countries)
Night blindness (for deficiency)
Wilson's disease (by interfering with body's ability to use essential mineral copper)
Wound healing (oral and topical)
cw
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
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