Hypertension may predict dementia in older adults with certain cognitive deficits

Folic acid supplements may reduce pre-term births

Nutraingredients.com, 22-Feb-2010

Maintaining supplementation with folic acid through to the third trimester of pregnancy may reduce the risk of preterm births, says a new study from Hungary.
Currently, supplementation with folate and folic acid - the synthetic, bioavailable form of folate - is recommended to all women of child-bearing age since most neural tube defects (NTDs), including spina bifida and anencephaly, occur within the first 22 to 28 days of pregnancy, when the mother-to-be is not aware she is even pregnant.
Folic acid supplements after this time are too late to prevent neural tube defects and therefore fail to benefit women with unplanned pregnancies - more than half of all pregnancies in the US.
The benefits of continuing these supplements after the first trimester of pregnancy is less clear however. According to findings published in the European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, high dose folic acid supplementation during pregnancy, and particularly in the third trimester, may reduce the risk of preterm births by about 7 per cent.
On the other hand, the supplements did not affect the birth weight of the infants, report researchers from the Foundation for the Community Control of Hereditary Diseases in Budapest and Semmelweis University
“Minor increase in mean birth weight after high dose of folic acid supplementation during pregnancy would not be expected to result in too large babies; however, the significant reduction in the rate of preterm births may have great public health benefit,” wrote the researchers.
Study details
Population-based data of women 6,293 women taking folic acid, 169 taking multivitamins, and 311 women taking folic acid plus multivitamin supplements, were compared with data of 7,319 pregnant women not taking folic acid or folic acid-containing multivitamins.
Data showed that women taking folic acid alone had a 0.3 week longer gestation period, while folic acid alone in the third trimester was associated with a 0.6 week longer gestation, said the researchers.
They also report that the “rate of preterm births was significantly lower compared with the reference sample” at 7.6 compared 11.8 per cent, respectively. Folic acid alone in the third trimester associated with a rate of preterm births of 4.8 per cent, they added.
Commenting on the potential mechanism, the researcher said their “present hypothesis is that the maternal hyperhomocysteinemia has a role in the origin of preterm birth and the reduced maternal folate status associates with elevated homocysteine related placental vasculopathy which can be neutralized with high dose of folic acid supplementation during pregnancy particularly in the third trimester.
“An important task is to check the preterm birth reducing effect of folic acid in randomized controlled trial and to determine its optimal dose,” they concluded.
Established benefits
An overwhelming body of evidence links folate deficiency in early pregnancy to increased risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) - most commonly spina bifida and anencephaly - in infants.
This connection led to the 1998 introduction of public health measures in the US and Canada, where all grain products are fortified with folic acid - the synthetic, bioavailable form of folate.
Preliminary evidence indicates that the measure is having an effect with a reported 15 to 50 per cent reduction in NTD incidence. A total of 51 countries now have some degree of mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid.
However, similar measures in other countries have been opposed by concerns that the folate/folic acid may mask vitamin B12 deficiency, which leads to a form of neurological problems.
Source: European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology
February 2010, Volume 148, Issue 2, Pages 135-140
“Possible association of folic acid supplementation during pregnancy with reduction of preterm birth: a population-based study”
Authors: A.E. Czeizel, E.H. Puho, Z. Langmar, N. Acs, F. Banhidy
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Folic-acid-supplements-may-reduce-pre-term-births

Super veg look set to walk the antioxidant red carpet

Nutraingredients.com 22-Feb-2010

 “I'm strong to the finish when I eats me spinach,” said Popeye the sailor man, and he could have snatched Olive Oyl from the clutches of Bluto with even more ferocity if he had eaten his broccoli, tomatoes or onions according to an Australian/New Zealand project focused on super vegetables.
In the continuing Nutraingredients series on antioxidants, we look at these rivals to super fruits in terms of their antioxidant potential.
Carolyn Lister, research leader at the New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research told this publication that while fruit has tended to attract the greatest attention and the ‘super’ label, there is a body of clinical research underlining the significant health benefits of vegetables in both raw and cooked form, with broccoli along with the other brassicas, tomatoes, onions and other alliums proving to be the vegetables with the strongest scientific evidence behind them.
“This evidence varies from in vitro studies through to human feeding studies.
Although there is considerable variation in the results of different studies (at least in part due to the design of trials - these have often been done using a pharmaceutical type approach and this is not always relevant for design of trials with food), looking at the summation of results, there is quite strong evidence for benefits to human health of a number of vegetables,” she claims.
Lister is one of the key scientists involved with the Vital Vegetables programme, a research initiative between the Australian and New Zealand horticultural industries set up to develop vegetables with increased health benefits, using traditional breeding techniques.
Broccoli and beyond
In 2009, the joint research programme launched a variety of broccoli, Booster Broccoli, on the Australian market that is said to have 40 per cent more active antioxidants than regular broccoli varieties.
Lister explained that this variety has guaranteed levels of glucosinolates/sulforaphane, and is the first of a range of vegetables where the team measures and monitors the levels of active components within.
And she said hundreds of scientific papers, based on epidemiological data supported by experimental studies with cell and animal models and more recently small-scale human intervention trials, have been published detailing the effects of sulforaphane on cardiovascular disease, certain forms of cancer, diabetes, as well as degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Furthermore, continued Lister, the multiple actions of sulforaphane in humans have been widely studied since 1992 when Professor Paul Talalay and associates at Johns Hopkins University discovered its action as an inducer of detoxifying enzyme systems.
“Although broccoli contains a diversity of nutrients and phytonutrients, such as flavonoids and carotenoids, the components that uniquely set broccoli and other crucifers apart from other vegetables are the glucosinolates.
In particular glucoraphanin that is then converted to sulforaphane. Sulforaphane has attracted the most attention from a research perspective in terms of its health benefits. Although not a radical scavenging antioxidant it acts as an indirect antioxidant,” she added.
Tomatoes and onions
Lycopene, the bright red carotenoid pigment, is present in tomatoes in reasonable quantities but available in relatively few other foods, continued Lister.
The health benefits of tomatoes/lycopene have been the subject of a number of scientific reviews but the most intensively investigated, she maintains, is its cancer preventative ability: “The results of several prospective cohort studies suggest that lycopene-rich diets are associated with significant reductions in the risk of prostate cancer, particularly more aggressive forms.”
Lister explained that onions contain sulfur compounds and flavonoids and that their antioxidant potency and anti-cancer properties are being supported by research studies.
She also highlights the antioxidant benefits of capsicums with their high levels of vitamins A, C and E as well as sweetcorn, which she said contains lutein and zeaxathin to benefit eye health.
Cinderella class
One vegetable that often gets overlooked is the potato, said Lister, which is a good contributor of vitamin C depending on how it is cooked. “Red and purple skinned may offer greater benefits than standard potatoes and we have developed new cultivars on this basis,” she added.
She said there are a range of less mainstream vegetables that may contain higher levels of phytochemicals and that could be exploited as super vegetables such as watercress.
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Super-veg-look-set-to-walk-the-antioxidant-red-carpet

Salt’s harmful effects may extend to artery hardening

Foodnavigator.com, 19-Feb-2010

Salt levels similar to those currently consumed in the Western diet may lead to hardening of arteries, independent of blood pressure effects, say new results that “confirm the potentially detrimental effects of a high dietary salt intake”.
The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, deepens our understanding of the detrimental effects of excessive salt consumption, which has led to pressure on the food industry to reformulate foods with lower sodium content.
“We hypothesized that if dietary salt restriction improves arterial vascular tone and blood pressure, then the converse should also occur, ie, increased salt intake would lead to a deterioration in arterial vascular tone,” wrote the researchers, led by Dr Rob Walker from the University of Otago in New Zealand.
“Confirmation of these changes would provide further supporting evidence of a role of dietary sodium restriction in the outpatient management of hypertensive individuals,” they added.
In collaboration with scientists from Deakin University in Australia, and the University of Colorado in the US, the University of Otago researchers report that people with hypertension participating in a low salt intervention period experienced significant increases in blood pressure when the salt content of their diets was increased. In addition, a correlation between salt and pulse wave velocity (PWV), a measure of the stiffness of the arteries, was observed, suggesting an effect on vascular health independent of blood pressure.
The researchers noted that their study was relatively small (only 35 people participated) and short (four weeks) and therefore need support in longer trials with other populations, particularly those at high risk like the obese, diabetics, and people with kidney disease.
Despite such caveats, Dr Walker and his co-workers state that their findings “confirm the potentially detrimental effects of a high dietary salt intake, with increases in blood pressure and PWVevident within a short time frame”.
Salt – a little but not too much
Salt is of course a vital nutrient and is necessary for the body to function, but the average daily salt consumption in the western world, between 10 and 12g, vastly exceeds recommendations from WHO/FAO of 5 grams per day to control blood pressure levels and reduce hypertension prevalence and related health risks in populations.
And with 80 per cent of salt intake coming from processed foods, many countries have initiated salt reduction programmes, with many holding up the UK’s Food Standards Agency as the torch bearer for national initiatives.
The benefits of a salt global salt reduction strategy were given blinding clarity by a meta-analysis published in The Lancet Chronic Diseases Series in 2007, which concluded that reducing salt intake around the world by 15 per cent could prevent almost nine million deaths between 2006 and 2015.
Study details
Thirty-five people with hypertension participated in the study, which involved an initial two week intervention with a low-sodium diet (60 mmol per day). After this time, the participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups in a cross-over manner: The low-salt diets were maintained by supplemented with a sodium-free tomato juice, a tomato juice containing 90 mmol of sodium, or a tomato juice containing 140 mmol of sodium.
After having participated in all three interventions, comparisons showed that PWV was higher following both sodium interventions in the order of about 0.37 m/s. Furthermore, systolic and diastolic blood pressure increased in both sodium groups, by 4.4 and 2.4 mmHg, respectively in the 90 mmol of sodium group, and by 5.6 and 3.3 mmHg, respectively in the 140 mmol sodium group.
“The major finding was that increased sodium (salt) intake to levels currently consumed in the Western diet in subjects consuming a low-salt diet caused an increase in PWV and blood pressure,” wrote the researchers.
Commenting on the research, Professor Graham MacGregor, salt reduction campaigner and professor of cardiovascular medicine at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Barts & London NHS Trust, welcomed the study as adding to the body of science supporting the benefits of salt reductions. Prof MacGregor told FoodNavigator: “There is a whole lot of knowledge coming in that shows that salt not only affects blood pressure, but also vascular health.”
Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition “Dietary salt loading impairs arterial vascular reactivity” A.S. Todd, R.J. MacGinley, J.B.W. Schollum, R.J. Johnson, S.M. Williams, W.H.F. Sutherland, J.I. Mann, R.J. Walker
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Salt-s-harmful-effects-may-extend-to-artery-hardening

Happiness wards off heart disease
Being happy and staying positive may help ward off heart disease, a study suggests.
BBC News, February 22, 2010
US researchers monitored the health of 1,700 people over 10 years, finding the most anxious and depressed were at the highest risk of the disease.
They could not categorically prove happiness was protective, but said people should try to enjoy themselves.
But experts suggested the findings may be of limited use as an individual's approach to life was often ingrained.
At the start of the study, which was published in the European Heart Journal, participants were assessed for emotions ranging from hostility and anxiousness to joy, enthusiasm and contentment.
They were given a rating on a five-point scale to score their level of positive emotions.
By the end of the analysis, some 145 had developed heart disease - fewer than one in 10.
But for each rise in the happiness scale there was a 22% lower risk of developing heart disease.
“ Essentially spending a few minutes each day truly relaxed and enjoying yourself is certainly good for your mental health and may improve your physical health as well ”
Dr Karina Davidson
The team believes happier people may have better sleeping patterns, be less liable to suffer stress and be more able to move on from upsetting experiences - all of which can put physical strain on the body.
Lead researcher Dr Karina Davidson admitted more research was needed into the link, but said she would still recommend that people try to develop a more positive outlook.
She said all too often people just waited for their "two weeks of vacation to have fun" when instead they should seek enjoyment each day.
"If you enjoy reading novels, but never get around to it, commit to getting 15 minutes or so of reading in.
"If walking or listening to music improves you mood, get those activities in your schedule.
"Essentially spending a few minutes each day truly relaxed and enjoying yourself is certainly good for your mental health and may improve your physical health as well."
It is not the first study to suggest there is a link between happiness and health.
But Ellen Mason, of the British Heart Foundation, suggested such an association may be of limited value anyway.
"We know that improving your mood isn't always easy - so we don't know if it's possible to change our natural levels of positivity."
Cardiologist Iain Simpson, of the British Cardiovascular Society, added: "Things like reducing cholesterol and diabetes are more important when it comes to reducing heart disease.
"But at the end of the day it heart disease is still the biggest killer in the UK so anything you can do to help should not be ignored."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8520549.stm

Serious birth defects linked to the agricultural chemical atrazine
S. L. Baker, NaturalNews.com  February 22, 2010

(NaturalNews) Gastroschisis is a birth defect in which the intestines, and sometimes other organs, develop outside the fetal abdomen and poke out through an opening in the abdominal wall. Long considered a rare occurrence, gastroschisis has mysteriously been on the rise over the last three decades. In fact, the incidence of the defect has soared, increasing two to four times in the last 30 years. But why?

Researchers think they've found the answer. The culprit behind the suffering of babies born with this condition appears to be the agricultural chemical atrazine. That's the conclusion of a study just presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) held in Chicago.

Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle were alerted to a higher than normal number of cases in of the birth defect in babies born in eastern Washington. So they began investigating to see if the increased incidence was due to some kind of environmental exposure in that area.

"Our state has about two times the national average number of cases of gastroschisis," Dr. Sarah Waller, one of the study's authors, said in a statement to the media. "The life expectancy for fetuses with this diagnosis is better than 90 percent; however it requires delivery at a tertiary care center with immediate neonatal intervention which often separates families and can cause serious financial and emotional stress."

The condition can lead to poor function of the bowel after delivery and potential long term feeding problems. Bottom line: babies with this birth defect must undergo the trauma of surgery right after birth. And while most survive, some babies with gastroschisis have significant damage to the bowel due to direct contact between the intestine and amniotic fluid or because the intestine was twisted. These infants may develop a condition known as "short gut" which can lead to stunted growth and a host of feeding and other problems.

For the new study, Dr. Waller and her research team went to work investigating all cases of live born infants with gastroschisis during the period between 1987 and 2006. They matched birth certificates with databases from the U.S. Geological Survey that revealed where agricultural spraying took place and what chemicals were used. It turns out the chemicals atrazine, nitrates, and 2, 4 dichlorophenoxyacetic acid were heavily sprayed in the area.

Of the 805 cases and 3,616 controls in the study, gastroschisis developed far more frequently among babies whose mothers lived less than 25 km from the site of high surface water that was specifically contaminated with one of the chemicals -- atrazine. What's more, the risk of gastroschisis was found to especially rise in babies of women who conceived in the spring, from March through May. Those are the months when use of the chemical is the most prevalent.
The problem with atrazine
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), atrazine is applied to crops (especially corn, sorghum, and sugarcane) before and after planting to control broadleaf and grassy weeds. It is used most heavily in the Midwest on agricultural crops but it is also applied to residential lawns, particularly in Florida and the Southeast.

Problems linked to atrazine have been in the news previously. Earlier research showed it causes sexual abnormalities in frogs and the chemical has also been linked to prostate cancer in workers at an atrazine manufacturing plant.

So why is it still widely used? Unfortunately, the EPA has done little to address the mounting evidence that atrazine is harmful to humans as well as animals. Last fall the agency announced it was going to start a new assessment of the chemical in 2010 that could take months to years to complete. In the meantime, tons of atrazine will continue to be sprayed on crops and lawns -- and mothers and their unborn babies will continue to be exposed to this chemical now linked to a serious and potentially deadly birth defects.
http://www.naturalnews.com/028222_atrazine_birth_defects.html

Amino acids shown to be effective at treating brain injuries
Mike Adams, NaturalNews.com  February 22, 2010

(NaturalNews) Researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have found in a lab study that amino acids are highly effective at restoring cognitive function and balancing neurochemical levels in those who have undergone brain trauma. Conducted on mice who had been inflicted with traumatic brain damage, the study holds promising potential for humans with similar injuries.

The study appeared in the online journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In it, researchers fed brain-injured mice leucine, isoleucine, and valine, three branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) that have been shown to heal severe brain injuries. The result was that the brain-injured mice demonstrated a full cognitive recovery, visibly responding the same as uninjured mice following their treatment.

The BCAAs used in the study are the precursors to two important neurotransmitters, glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) which jointly balance proper brain activity. Damage to the hippocampus, the portion of the brain that sustains memory and higher learning, is typical during a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and results in reduced BCAA levels. Supplementation with BCAAs has proven to rejuvenate the brain and restore it to normal function.

Intravenous nourishment with BCAAs has been done before, however in this study the BCAA mixture was added to the mice's drinking water. Dr. Akiva Cohen, Ph.D. and author of the study, recommends dietary supplementation with BCAAs for human TBI treatment. He believes oral rather than intravenous supplementation is preferable because, rather than flood the brain with too high a dose intravenously, drinking BCAAs will provide a more sustained dose with increased benefits.
This is interesting research because it shows how dietary supplements can give the brain the raw materials it needs to heal itself. The fact that this process exists at all is considered utterly impossible by the FDA, which maintains the ridiculous position that there is no such thing as a nutritional supplement that has any therapeutic effect on the human body whatsoever.

If BCAAs actually worked, the FDA says, they would be "drugs" instead of supplements. And they would be regulated and available only by prescription. The FDA cannot tolerate the existence of a nutritional supplement that actually works to accelerate healing while being freely available to anyone who wants to buy it.

Reality, however, stands in contrast to the FDA. In the real world, nutrients do help the brain heal. In the real world, food is medicine. The FDA, to its own embarrassment, continues to deny this simple fact of human physiology.
http://www.naturalnews.com/028209_BCAAs_brain_injuries.html

The FDA Continues to Suppress Ozone Therapy Despite Proven Efficacy

Paul Fassa, NaturalNews.com  February 21, 2010

(NaturalNews) In January 2010, the FDA sent U.S. Marshals into Auburn, California to raid manufacturer Applied Ozone Systems and seize their ozone generators. The FDA press release asserted all kinds of ridiculous reasons for this particular raid, citing poor manufacturing procedures and the generators' potential for spreading infections, among others. What the press release ignores is the existence of FDA's ban of ozone therapy in the USA since the 1940s even after 60 years of prior successful ozone therapy in America. The FDA also ignores the fact that ozone therapy is currently used safely, effectively, and openly in Germany, Russia, and Cuba. Evidently, America's Medical Mafia is not fond of ozone therapy's proven efficacy for a wide range of diseases, including cancer and AIDS.

What Is Ozone Therapy?

In her September 2009 Health Freedom News article "The Miracle of Ozone Therapy", London based homeopathist Louise McClean asserts, "Ozone is probably one of the most miraculous healing therapies available on our planet at this time. Through its oxygenating power, it successfully treats and cures a wide range of serious degenerative conditions including cancer, cardio-vascular disease, diabetes, liver, and kidney disease".

Ozone or O3 is a highly charged oxygen molecule with increased oxygenating properties. It is often administered intravenously, or by injection, though it can be vaporized and inhaled or taken in through anal and vaginal openings. There is some use of ozone by U.S. dentists and medical doctors to prevent infections during surgical procedures, but the FDA taboo for curing with ozone remains.

Ed McCabe (Mr. Oxygen), ozone therapy advocate and author of Flood Your Body With Oxygen, explains that oxygen is the most important nutrient for our bodies, while virtually all pathogens are anaerobic and will not survive in a heavily oxygenated environment. Biochemist Otto Warburg was granted the Nobel Prize decades ago for discovering that anaerobic cancer cells die in oxygen.

Some History of Ozone Therapy

In Germany, ozone therapy has been widely used since 1959. There have been 10,000 German doctors using ozone therapy for close to 10 million patients for various diseases with a 90 percent cure rate and virtually no side effects. Yet the FDA disregards this as "anecdotal evidence", while the pharmaceuticals with "scientific evidence" kill many and cure few.

Russia claims 40 years of successful ozone therapy, especially for tuberculosis. A medical report from Russia claims that those who are cured do not have a reoccurrence. Cuba authorized ozone therapy in 1986 and uses it in all its hospitals. So if you can get to Cuba, you may get a good deal! But there are ozone clinics in Mexico and other parts of the Caribbean as well.

In the 1960's, Robert Atkins, MD of Atkins Diet fame, temporarily lost his license after it was discovered he had cured, repeat cured, a woman's breast cancer by injecting the tumor with O3. He used his NYC weekly radio show to announce exactly what had happened. The resultant public outcry forced the NY State Medical Board to reinstate his license, but with Atkins' agreement to quit using or publicizing ozone therapy.

The FDA suppresses ozone therapy in every way possible. Prior to the 1940's, it was commonly used in the USA. The first USA ozone generator was created in 1896. Successful ozone therapy in America dates back to that time, before the FDA was created. Ed McCabe considers this fact sufficient to legally grandfather ozone therapy's use in America today. Unfortunately, the Medical Mafia doesn't see it that way.
http://www.naturalnews.com/028201_ozone_therapy_FDA.html

Prevent Hair Loss with Biotin and Other Nutrients

Melanie Grimes, NaturalNews.com  February 21, 2010

(NaturalNews) Hair loss is a natural process that progresses with age, but many nutrients have been shown to improve circulation to the scalp, prevent hair thinning and hair loss. Adding simple nutrients from food and vitamins can both repair hair and help to regrow hair, starting at the roots. Biotin is an important nutrient to help prevent hair loss. Genetics play a part in predicting who will lose hair and when, but diet can delay or prevent hair loss and age-related balding. Treatments applied topically, such as hair masks, conditioners and vitamin treatments can also help but the best results occur when nutrients such as biotin are added to the diet.

Biotin
Biotin or Vitamin B7 (originally known as vitamin H) is one of the components of the B complex of vitamins. Biotin is required to turn sugar into energy. It is also part of the pathway for synthesizing fat in the body because it enables the function of the enzyme acetyl Co-A carboxylase, which builds fat molecules, and fat is an important component in the walls of every cell. Biotin is especially important to the skin cells as they are frequently replaced due to their exposure to the outside environment. Symptoms of biotin deficiency are cradle cap in infants and seborrheic dermatitis in adults. Biotin also protects the nervous system, preventing seizures, ataxia and loss of muscle tone. Biotin has been shown to regrow hair and even reverse premature graying. An added benefit to biotin supplementation is a reduction in stress reactions, as biotin is also an important component of the nerves. Stress can cause hair loss, so adding biotin to the diet gives protection both to the hair follicles and to the nerves that support their proper function.

Dosage of Biotin
Daily doses as high as 60 mg a day can be taken for long periods, as there have not been any reports of biotin toxicity. Studies with biotin supplementation of 500 mg a day have shown results in hair restoration and reversal of hair graying.

Other Nutrients Needed for Hair Growth
Other nutrients are also needed to spur hair growth, especially those that are a part of the hair itself. Silica is one of these components and can be added to the diet by eating grains such as rice and oats. Protein is also needed to grow healthy hair. The addition of iron to the diet spurs hair growth as well. Iron deficiency, or anemia, can cause hair to fall out. Another important nutrient for hair growth is vitamin E. Vitamin E stimulates the circulation and improves both heart health and hair health.
http://www.naturalnews.com/028198_hair_loss_biotin.html

Dolphins offer humans a clue to treating diabetes

Guardian UK, February 21, 2010
Bottlenose dolphins can switch diabetes on and off – a trick that could be mimicked to treat humans with the condition
Scientists have discovered a biological quirk in bottlenose dolphins that could lead to a treatment for late-onset diabetes in humans. Studies on the marine mammals found that healthy dolphins switch into a diabetic-like state overnight when they are not feeding, but revert to a normal physiology when they eat the following morning.
The extraordinary finding has led scientists to suggest that dolphins have a "genetic switch" that allows them to mimic diabetes while they are fasting, without suffering any ill effects.
If researchers can identify a similar genetic pathway in humans, they may be able to develop drugs to effectively switch off diabetes.
Some 2.2m people in Britain have late onset, or type 2 diabetes, a figure that is expected to reach 4m by 2025 as a consequence of rising levels of obesity.
The tissues of people with type 2 diabetes have become resistant to insulin so they lose the ability to control sugar levels in their blood. The condition can damage the heart, eyes, kidneys and nerves and contributes to 5% of all deaths, according to the World Health Organisation.
Dolphins appear to mimic diabetes to maintain high levels of blood sugar when food is scarce. Like humans, dolphins need some sugar in their blood for their brains to function normally.
"It is our hope that this discovery can lead to novel ways to prevent, treat and maybe even cure diabetes in humans," said Stephanie Venn-Watson, director of clinical research at the National Marine Mammal Foundation in San Diego.
Venn-Watson's team analysed 1,000 blood samples from 52 dolphins while they fasted overnight and fed in the morning. At night time, the dolphins' metabolism changed dramatically and showed similar characteristics to that seen in people with type 2 diabetes.
"What's interesting about this is when you look at dolphins fed in the morning, they revert back to a non-diabetic state, indicating that these animals may have a genetic fasting switch that can turn diabetes on and off," Dr Venn-Watson told the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in San Diego yesterday.
Humans and dolphins have the largest brains of all mammals and both have red blood cells that are exceptionally permeable to glucose and able to ferry large amounts of the sugar into the brain.
Scientists believe diabetes emerged in dolphins as an evolutionary adaptation to a high protein and low carbohydrate diet. No other animal apart from humans shows the same complex range of diabetes-like symptoms as dolphins.
"Maybe this is a vestige of something dormant that could be awakened and used as a therapy or cure," Venn-Watson said.
"There is no desire to make a dolphin a lab animal, but what we can do is compare their genes with human genes and look for evidence of a genetic switch," he added.
In 2007, scientists at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, identified a genetic switch in mice that lowers blood sugar levels, raising hopes that a similar mechanism exists in humans.
Mark Simmonds, international head of science at the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, said the prospect of using dolphins to study diabetes was "a grave concern".
"Dolphins are intelligent and sophisticated animals which are vulnerable to stress and suffering when confined and removed from their natural environment and societies," he said. "The fact that dolphins in captivity experience ongoing stress adds to questions about the validity of studies of physiological processes that are intimately connected with the animals' well-being."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/feb/19/dolphins-humans-diabetes

High Levels of Vitamin D in Older People Can Reduce Heart Disease and Diabetes
ScienceDaily (Feb. 22, 2010) — Middle aged and elderly people with high levels of vitamin D could reduce their chances of developing heart disease or diabetes by 43%, according to researchers at the University of Warwick. 
A team of researchers at Warwick Medical School carried out a systematic literature review of studies examining vitamin D and cardiometabolic disorders. Cardiometabolic disorders include cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. 
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in some foods and is also produced when ultraviolet rays from sunlight strike the skin and trigger vitamin D synthesis. Fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel are good sources of vitamin D, and it is also available as a dietary supplement. 
Researchers looked at 28 studies including 99,745 participants across a variety of ethnic groups including men and women. The studies revealed a significant association between high levels of vitamin D and a decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (33% compared to low levels of vitamin D), type 2 diabetes (55% reduction) and metabolic syndrome (51% reduction). 
The literature review, published in the journal Maturitas, was led by Johanna Parker and Dr Oscar Franco, Assistant Professor in Public Health at Warwick Medical School. 
Dr Franco said: “We found that high levels of vitamin D among middle age and elderly populations are associated with a substantial decrease in cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.  
“Targeting vitamin D deficiency in adult populations could potentially slow the current epidemics of cardiometabolic disorders.” 
All studies included were published between 1990 and 2009 with the majority published between 2004 and 2009. Half of the studies were conducted in the United States, eight were European, two studies were from Iran, three from Australasia and one from India.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100216113553.htm

New Evidence That Green Tea May Help Fight Glaucoma and Other Eye Diseases

ScienceDaily (Feb. 20, 2010) — Scientists have confirmed that the healthful substances found in green tea -- renowned for their powerful antioxidant and disease-fighting properties -- do penetrate into tissues of the eye. Their new report, the first documenting how the lens, retina, and other eye tissues absorb these substances, raises the possibility that green tea may protect against glaucoma and other common eye diseases.
It appears in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Chi Pui Pang and colleagues point out that so-called green tea "catechins" have been among a number of antioxidants thought capable of protecting the eye. Those include vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein, and zeaxanthin. Until now, however, nobody knew if the catechins in green tea actually passed from the stomach and gastrointestinal tract into the tissues of the eye.
Pang and his colleagues resolved that uncertainty in experiments with laboratory rats that drank green tea. Analysis of eye tissues showed beyond a doubt that eye structures absorbed significant amounts of individual catechins. The retina, for example, absorbed the highest levels of gallocatechin, while the aqueous humor tended to absorb epigallocatechin. The effects of green tea catechins in reducing harmful oxidative stress in the eye lasted for up to 20 hours. "Our results indicate that green tea consumption could benefit the eye against oxidative stress," the report concludes.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100218125520.htm

Insomnia can shrink human brain
Times of India, Feb 22, 2010

In a finding that could lead to new treatment for insomnia, a new study has claimed that sleeplessness may actually shrink a person's brain.

The University of Cambridge study- the first to link insomnia to a reduction in vital grey matter- showed that those with chronic sleep problems had lower grey matter density in brain areas used to make decisions.

Dr Ellemarije Altena, who led the research, said, "The findings predict that chronic insomnia sufferers may have compromised capacities to assess stimuli.”

“This could have consequences for other thought processes, notably decision-making," she said, adding that their finding could pave way for new treatment for those who struggle with sleeplessness as the brain areas are also used to regulate rest.

For their study, the scientists compared the brains of chronic insomnia patients to normal sleepers.

They found that those with severe insomniacs exhibited the most extensive density loss, regardless of how long they had suffered from the disorder.

However, the researchers are not yet able to pin down whether sleeplessness precedes grey matter loss or the other way around.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life/health-fitness/health/Insomnia-can-shrink-human-brain/articleshow/5603472.cms

Researchers predict 98 pct rise in diseases
Times of India, Feb 19, 2010

Obesity among adults is continuing to rise, implying worrisome increases in conditions like heart disease and cancer by 2020 and 98 per cent rise in type-2 diabetes by 2050, says a new study.

Led by Klim McPherson, Oxford University professor, researchers conducted the analysis by preparing forecasts up to 2020 for overweight

and obesity levels among adults using the most recent data and comparing them to previous estimates.

Their analysis shows a substantial increase in cardiovascular diseases, particularly coronary heart disease (CHD).

By 2050, they predict a 23 per cent rise in the prevalence of obesity-related stroke, a 34 percent rise in obesity-related hypertension, a 44 per cent rise in obesity-related coronary heart disease and 98 percent rise in type-2 diabetes.

"This new report paints a gloomy picture of the future.... Type-2 diabetes accounts for 90 per cent of all cases of diabetes and obesity is one of its leading causes," said Diabetes UK Care Adviser Cathy Moulton.

"Historically a condition that only develops in the over forties, type-2 diabetes is now worryingly being diagnosed in children as young as seven, a situation almost unheard of just a generation ago, and purely as a result of obesity," said Moulton.

"There is every reason we can reverse these trends if the recommended daily level of 60 minutes' physical activity, achievable for most children, is combined with a healthy balanced diet, rich in fruit and vegetables and low in fat, sugar and salt.

"Unless we take action now, we will be putting a generation at risk of the many devastating complications associated with obesity," concluded Moulton, according to a release of Diabetes UK.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life/health-fitness/health/Researchers-predict-98-pct-rise-in-diseases/articleshow/5591711.cms

Drink cranberry juice to lower BP
Times of India, Feb 17, 2010
Drinking cranberry juice can lower your blood pressure, according to a new research.

The study conducted by Roger Corder, professor at Queen Mary University of London, has appeared January 28 in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.

The Independent quoted Corder, the author of The Red Wine Diet, as saying, "...cranberry juice is a very promising alcohol-free alternative.

We have now identified oligomeric procyanidins as the specific compound in cranberries that can boost the health of blood vessels, helping to prevent blood vessel constriction - a leading cause of high blood pressure".
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life/health-fitness/health/Drink-cranberry-juice-to-lower-BP/articleshow/5583769.cms

Human brains grow, change and can heal themselves

The Dallas Morning News  03-03-10

Mar. 2--By the time Scott Hayner of Highland Park was 7, he had had one skull fracture and three major concussions from falling off horses.

Nobody connected those accidents to the difficulties he had in school as he acted out, stopped talking for three months and cried daily for two years. As an adult, he seemed to be a thriving, successful stockbroker, until traumatic brain injury from a 1999 soccer accident led to seizures and sidelined his ability to talk to people and stay on task, it seemed, for good.Two realizations have turned his life around at 42. First, he realized that brain injuries were behind the troubles he had had all his life. And second, he read about brain plasticity -- the concept that the brain can heal and learn at all ages.

"It was a relief," says Hayner, who credits his 2008 training at the University of Texas at Dallas' Center for BrainHealth for helping to restore abilities that he thought were long gone. "It helped me regain my self-esteem and self-confidence. It gave me hope."

Neuroplasticity, or the brain's ability to adapt and change through life, is gaining increased traction in medical circles.

Dr. Norman Doidge, author of the best-selling The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science (Penguin, $16), refers to neuroplasticity as "the most important change in our understanding of the brain in four hundred years."

"For the longest time our best and brightest neuroscientists thought of the brain as like a machine, with parts, each performing a single mental function in a single location," he wrote in an e-mail from the University of Toronto (he also teaches at Columbia University). "We thought its circuits were genetically hardwired, and formed, and finalized in childhood."

This meant that doctors assumed they could do little to help those with mental limitations or brain damage, he says -- because machines don't grow new parts. The new thinking changes that: "It means that many disorders that we thought can't be treated have to be revisited."

Dr. Jeremy Denning, a neurosurgeon on the Baylor Plano medical staff, has seen that in his own practice.

"The brain has the amazing ability to reorganize itself by forming new connections between brain cells," Denning says. "I have one patient I operated on a year ago who almost died from a hemispheric brain stroke and actually recovered from coma to hemiplegia [paralysis] to actually walking out of the hospital in four to five weeks. There are numerous studies looking at the changes that occur at the molecular level at the site of neuron connections. It is a very complex phenomenon, and we are still in the infancy of completely understanding it."

Dr. Sandra Chapman believes in lifelong plasticity. As founder of the Center for BrainHealth, she has set several studies in motion to explore how that concept can help those with brain damage and everyone else, including those with aging brains, middle-schoolers who need a brain boost and autistic children who need help rewiring the brain to improve their social cognition.

People such as Hayner have been able to benefit from some of these studies, although BrainHealth is primarily a research institute.

"Our brain is one of the most modifiable parts of our whole body," Chapman says.

That means that just as physical exercise keeps the body healthy, the right kind of learning will make it more likely for our brains to keep up with our ever-expanding life span, she notes.

Even while using the latest high-tech scanning devices to monitor results in her studies, when it comes to brain health Chapman puts her greatest emphasis on a brain fitness exam that she refers to as a "neck-up checkup." It's done one-on-one with an interviewer using puzzles, paper, pen, pencil and just a few computer questions.

A "brain physical" at the center costs $600. Based on the results, experts recommend a simple, individualized strategy usually focusing on three key areas:

--Strategic attention: the skill to block out distractions and focus on what's important. Exercises might include taking stock of your environment, identifying what distracts you and eliminating or limiting those things, and creating daily priority lists.

--Integrated reasoning: the ability to find the message or theme in what you are watching, reading or doing. Exercises might include making a point of reflecting on the meaning of a book after you've read it or a movie after you've seen it and writing down your interpretation.

--Innovation: the vision to identify patterns and come up with new ideas, fresh perspectives and multiple solutions to problems. Exercises might include thinking of multiple solutions to problems as they come up, talking to other people to get a different perspective and taking time to step away from a problem to give yourself an opportunity for creative thoughts.

Hayner says his sessions -- he attended for two months and completed take-home exercises -- proved invaluable.

"I have been on so many drugs and medications, and they got me nowhere," he says. "Adults with TBIs [traumatic brain injuries] tend to become overwhelmed, and when someone becomes overwhelmed, it spirals into fear and chaos, and we have a tendency to shut down.

"Today as long as I stick to what I was taught here about filtering information and innovative thinking and what's important and what's not important and apply that to my real life, things don't confuse and baffle me ... I can make a decision on the important things that have to be done each day."

Although Chapman maintains it's never too late -- or early -- to learn, she does point out that some physiological changes in the brain come with age.

The frontal lobes, which control critical thinking, judgment, reasoning and problem-solving, accelerate from ages 16 to 25 and may begin to decline after age 30, particularly if efforts to keep the brain fit haven't been made.

Memory and processing abilities may slow as people get older, too, she says.

At the same time, the brain, like the body, can stay fit in core areas as the years go by, she maintains. It's possible that the connections that the brain makes may become even more profound with age:

"People in their 80s and 90s can do incredible things," Chapman says. "They may do them a little bit slower, but they can do them at a much deeper level."What to avoid

--Sleep deprivation

--Multitasking

--Stress

--Concussion

--Depression

--Some medications and sleep aids

--General anesthesia

--Failure to seek help if you notice difficulties such as loss of memory, inability to focus and make decisions, and a struggle to understand.

Source: the Center for BrainHealth

http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=9392&Section=Aging

US FDA warns Nestle, Gerber, others on food claims

Last Updated: 2010-03-03 15:02:01 -0400 (Reuters Health)

CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. health regulators have warned units of Nestle and more than a dozen other foodmakers over nutritional claims made for baby food, nuts and other products on food labels and product websites, according to letters made public on Wednesday.

The warnings came as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is set to push for new package labeling geared toward making it easier for consumers to understand the nutritional content of the foods they eat.

The FDA plans to soon issue draft guidelines for nutritional labeling, but also plans to work with the food industry to design a new labeling system, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in an open letter to the food industry.

Hamburg said on Wednesday that the examples cited in the warnings were not indicative of labeling practices in the food industry as a whole.

In one of the warning letters, issued Feb. 22 to baby food maker Gerber, a unit of Nestle, the FDA cited issues with Gerber 2nd Foods Carrot and Graduates Fruit Puffs products saying their "labeling includes unauthorized nutrient content claims."

The foods make claims that they are "Healthy as Fresh," an "Excellent Source ... of Vitamin A" and "No Added Sugar," according to the agency letter. "These regulations do not allow the claim for products specifically intended for children under two years of age," the FDA wrote.

The FDA issued a similar warning to Beech-Nut, a unit of Swiss company Hero Group, the same day.

(For a list of the companies that received warning letters and links to those letters, see: http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/default.htm#recent)

The agency also warned Nestle, Gerber and other companies about similar nutritional claims made on company websites.

Others receiving warning letters include snack food company Diamond Foods Inc - relating to the health claims for the omega-3 fatty acids in the company's walnuts - and Spectrum Organic Products Inc, a unit of Hain Celestial Group, over labeling for its vegetable shortening.

Nestle's Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream unit was warned over labeling of certain products.

A Nestle spokesman said the company was cooperating with the FDA but does not comment on pending regulatory inquiries.

Hain, Beech-Nut and Diamond could not immediately be reached for comment.

The letters call for the companies to immediately correct the products' labeling and respond to the agency within 15 days from the day of the letter.

http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2010/03/03/eline/links/20100303elin017.html

Links seen between gut bacteria and disease: paper

Last Updated: 2010-03-03 15:23:31 -0400 (Reuters Health)

SHENZHEN, China (Reuters) - Some of the hundreds of bacteria found in the digestive systems of humans may be linked to specific diseases like cancer, diabetes and obesity, an international team of scientists said in a paper on Thursday.

Researchers, led by Chinese scientist Wang Jun, said in the latest issue of Nature they found more than 1,000 different species of bacteria in the human gut.

They said they had sequenced, or analyzed, the genes of each bacteria, creating the first genetic catalog of the organisms found in the human digestive system. Their research was based on analysis of stool samples from 124 people from Denmark and Spain.

Wang and his fellow researchers found several genes that may be linked to obesity and Crohn's disease, but he said more validation work was needed.

"Apart from helping you digest, these bacteria may also play a very important role in ... diseases like Crohn's disease, cancer, obesity," Wang, executive director of the Beijing Genomics Institute, said in an interview with Reuters.

"If you just tackle these bacteria, it is easier than treating the human body itself. If you find that a certain bug is responsible for a certain disease and you kill it, then you kill the disease," Wang said.

Crohn's disease is an inflammatory illness of the intestines which some believe may be caused by a variety of bacteria. Other possible causes include genetics and environmental factors.

Wang said creating the genetic catalog of all the bacteria in the human gut was only a beginning.

"There are a lot of unknown bacteria and pathogens that can cause different kinds of diseases," he said.

"So this is the first step and we have to study further to find concrete associations between these bacteria and human diseases, and then you can start learning how to get diagnosis, prognosis and then treatment," Wang said.

Wang and colleagues in China are working on a similar 120-sample study in Chinese hospitals.

"There are four groups: obese diabetics, obese non-diabetics, lean diabetics and lean non-diabetics. And we found some interesting bugs related to each type of diabetes," Wang said.

http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2010/03/03/eline/links/20100303elin022.html

In defence of omega-3

Nutraingredients.com  March 4, 2010

The best way to survive a shark attack is to fight back, so say survivors. Events this week suggest the sharks may be beginning to circle the good ship omega-3, and now is the time for industry and academia to start fighting back.

First, the BBC runs an article on it website with the title, “The cult of omega-3”, which left a very fishy taste in this reader’s mouth. On the other side of the pond, legal action was announced in a San Francisco court over allegations of excessive limits for the pollutant polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) in some omega-3 supplements.

And all this in a week that celebrated Omega-3 Awareness Day.

Magic versus science

The BBC’s article set out to examine if the reputation of omega-3 is worthy. If you haven’t read the article, I suggest you have a look. It starts with the statement: “Hardly a week goes by without a new health claim being made of eating oily fish. But is it really as magical as we are told?”

There is nothing wrong with the first sentence. I report on the potential benefits of omega-3 every week. The studies are published in high-quality, peer-review journals and come from good researchers at good universities. Indeed, such is the mass of omega-3 science, and the subsequent amount of reporting on the topic, that some of my colleagues suggest: “Every day is omega-3 day!”

And to answer the BBC’s question, nobody said it was magical. We’re talking about science here, not magic. If omega-3 had a voice of its own it may well echo Gandalf’s proclamation in Lord of the Rings: “Do not take me for some conjurer of cheap tricks!”

There is a mountain of evidence of over 12,000 studies supporting a role for omega-3's in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and boosting overall heart health, improving eye and brain development in our formative years, maintaining cognitive performance as we age, and improving mood and behaviour, even amongst the less well-behaved .

So what’s the issue? Omega-3 is one of the nutrition industry’s major successes, with the ingredients market valued at a whopping $1.6 billion by Frost & Sullivan. Omega-3 perfectly illustrates how an ingredient can be mutually and successfully developed by all of the players working together. It may come as no surprise that there are some that wish to “take it down a peg or two”, as we say in the UK.

There are always detractors in the world, and it is up to the industry and the scientists working in this field to defend omega-3. Now is the time for industry and academia to react to lawyers and journalists.

The cult

The BBC’s article brings together a couple of issues that I have covered over the years – bad journalism and views from authors of reviews who practise selective science .

The only researcher interviewed in the omega-3 article is Dr Lee Hooper from the University of East Anglia, described by the Beeb as the “lead author of one of the most thorough studies on the apparent benefits of omega-3, published in the British Medical Journal in 2006.”

Hang on a minute! Is this the review that received so much criticism that the scientists went into damage control and released a statement saying: "We did not report that 'long chain omega-3 does not offer any protection from heart disease,' that 'omega-3 fats have no effect on total mortality, combined cardiovascular events, or cancer' or that omega-3 fats are of 'no benefit'”?

What they did write in the BMJ was, "Long chain and shorter chain omega 3 fats do not have a clear effect on total mortality, combined cardiovascular events, or cancer."

So, they did say it then.

The journals are overflowing with research from excellent scientists that supports the benefits of the fatty acids. The science supporting omega-3 is impressive, but the science is also ongoing.

Omega-3 benefits may also have huge public health implications. Some may say I’m over-reacting to articles such as the BBC’s and legal action in San Francisco, but industry needs to remain vigilant of potential sharks in their calm waters. I’ve seen Jaws, I know what can happen.

Stephen Daniells is the science editor for NutraIngredients, NutraIngredients-USA, FoodNavigator, and FoodNavigator-USA. He has a PhD in chemistry from the Queen’s University of Belfast and has worked in research in The Netherlands and France. He has been writing about nutrition and food science for over four years, and takes an omega-3 supplement every day.

http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/In-defence-of-omega-3

Red clover may counter depressive symptoms in older women

Nutraingredients.com, 04-Mar-2010

Post-menopausal women taking supplements of a red clover extract may experience fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety, says a new randomised trial from Austria.

Symptoms of depression and anxiety were reduced by about 80 per cent following 90 days of supplements containing 80 milligrams of red clover isoflavones, according to findings of a prospective randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial published in Maturitas.

“Although clinical data regarding phytoestrogens and mood disorders is still scarce, the present series determined that red clover derived isoflavones were effective in reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms among postmenopausal women,” wrote the authors, led by Markus Lipovac from General Teaching Hospital Korneuburg in Austria.

“More clinical and experimental research in this regard is warranted,” they added.

If such additional research does indeed improve mood, then this could present an option for many people. According to background information in the article, the lifetime prevalence of depression in women is about 21 per cent. The figure falls to 13 per cent for men, added the researchers.

The study used a preparation from Melbrosin International containing isoflavones in their aglycone form, and specifically the compounds biochanin A, formononetin, genistein and daidzein.

Study details

Lipovac and his co-workers recruited 109 post-menopausal women over the age of 40 and randomly assigned them to receive either the red clover supplement or placebo for 90 days.

Measures of depressive and anxiety symptoms, obtained using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Zung's Self Rating Depression Scale (SDS), showed that anxiety was reduced by 76 per cent, and depression by 78 per cent, according to HADS. The SDS data supported the HADS result, with symptoms of depression reduced by 80 per cent.

People in the placebo group experienced a decrease in anxiety and depression of about 21 per cent on both HADS and SDS, added Lipovac and hic co-workers.

Commenting on the potential mechanism, the researchers proposed a role for isoflavones in the protection against neuron damage by inhibiting inflammatory pathways,

“Equally red clover isoflavones protected human cortical neurons against glutamate toxicity and oxidative stress, which could have been the result of their antioxidant and estrogenic actions,” they added.

EFSA’s opinion

In early 2009, data was sent to a European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) working group investigating isoflavones following a symposium in Italy. Twenty isoflavone experts met in Italy to examine studies collected over the last 20 years, and as well as newer trials, and concluded that emerging human studies in isoflavones demonstrate the “modest but valuable benefit for menopause relief”.

The scientists concluded the soy and red clover-derived isoflavones do not increase the risk of breast cancer and can offer very real relief to post-menopausal women.

Source: Maturitas March 2010, Volume 65, Issue 3, Pages 258-261 “Improvement of postmenopausal depressive and anxiety symptoms after treatment with isoflavones derived from red clover extracts”  M. Lipovac, P. Chedraui, C. Gruenhut, A. Gocan, M. Stammler, M. Imhof

http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Red-clover-may-counter-depressive-symptoms-in-older-women

90 Percent of High School Kids Lack Sufficient Intake of Fruits, Veggies

David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com March 4, 2010

(NaturalNews) Less than 10 percent of high school students in the United States meet the federally recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables, according to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"A diet high in fruits and vegetables is important for optimal child growth, maintaining a healthy weight, and prevention of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some cancers, " said William H. Dietz, director of the Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Division of the CDC. "This report will help states determine what is taking place in their communities and schools and come up with ways to encourage people to eat more fruits and vegetables."

In 2007, the CDC surveyed both adults and high school students on their daily consumption of fruits or vegetables. Even though they are considered less healthy than whole fruits, fruit juices were counted toward daily fruit intake goals.

Even so, only 32 percent of the 100,000 students surveyed said they ate at least two servings of fruit per day, while only 13 percent consumed at least three daily servings of vegetables. Less than 10 percent ate enough of both.

The numbers among adults were similar for fruit consumption, and only slightly better for vegetables. Thirty-three percent of adults consumed at least two servings of fruits per day, while 27 percent consumed at least three servings of vegetables.

Details of the results varied by state, with Arkansas and North Carolina scoring significantly below the average and Vermont and other New England states scoring significantly above it. The researchers found that states with more farmers markets per capita than the national average tended to have higher rates of fruit and vegetable consumption. Schools in states scoring above average were also more likely to make fresh fruit available on campus.

The study calls attention to how far the government is from achieving its goal of getting 75 percent of people to consume two daily fruit servings and 50 percent to consume three daily vegetable servings by 2010.

"This is a call for states, communities, schools, and families to support increased fruit and vegetable consumption,'' researcher Heidi Blanck said.

http://www.naturalnews.com/028293_high_school_nutrition.html

Prostate cancer therapy can increase risk of heart disease and death

Ethan Huff, NaturalNews.com March 4, 2010

(NaturalNews) A new report published in the American Cancer Society journal, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, and in the American Heart Association journal, Circulation, reveals that androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT), a type of prostate cancer treatment, can increase heart risk factors and possibly lead to heart attack or cardiac death.

A writing group of experts from the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, the American Urological Association, and the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology published their findings that indicate that ADT leads to increased fat mass, increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the "bad" form of cholesterol, and blood sugar abnormalities.

The goal of ADT is to reduce male hormonal levels in order to decrease the rate at which cancer cells grow and spread in the prostate. By limiting the two primary male androgens - testosterone and dihydrotestosterone - Western medicine theory purports that prostate cancer can be better combated. The American Cancer Society, however, admits that ADT and other forms of hormone therapy do not actually cure prostate cancer.

The advisory panel that oversaw the study noted that, while ADT does seem to increase one's risk of having future cardiovascular problems, the patient should evaluate whether the alleged benefits of ADT are worth it in comparison. The group also stressed its belief that prostate cancer patients should consult only the physician who is actually treating the cancer for help in making the decision, without referral to any other outside specialists.

Interestingly, studies pertaining to the effects of low testosterone levels in men have determined that the condition, known as hypogonadism, leads to cardiovascular disease and death. Low serum testosterone levels are also known to increase a man's risk of developing diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and dyslipidemia. Men who undergo ADT experience the same increased risk factors due to their testosterone levels being artificially reduced.

Many men who have undergone ADT also experience long-term difficulty achieving proper testosterone levels following the treatment. Many have reported that they are unable to sustain proper male hormonal levels at all following ADT, summoning them to a life of illness and premature death.

If ADT does not cure prostate cancer and permanently blocks male hormones from properly circulating in the body, why would anyone endorse such a treatment? There does not seem to be any logical answer to this question other than that it is recommended by mainstream cancer experts to assist in treatment; therefore, many simply jump on the bandwagon.

http://www.naturalnews.com/028296_prostate_cancer_heart_disease.html

Insulin Used to Treat Diabetes May Be Linked to Increased Cancer Risk, Review Suggests

ScienceDaily (Mar. 4, 2010) — The benefits of using insulin to treat diabetes far outweigh the risks, but a review just published online by IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice, suggests that commonly used diabetes therapies may differ from each other when it comes to their influence on cancer risk.

Cancer expert Professor Michael Pollak from McGill University, Montreal, Canada, teamed up with diabetes expert Professor David Russell-Jones from The Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, UK, to review more than three decades of laboratory and population studies.

They believe that their findings will be of special interest to clinicians advising diabetic patients who have also been diagnosed with cancer or have a strong family history of cancer.

"The inter-relationships between cancer and diabetes deserve more attention as both of these diseases are becoming more prevalent globally and it is increasingly more common to see patients with both conditions" says Professor Pollak.

The paper also reflects the views expressed by experts at scientific meetings held in 2009 to assess the relative risk of malignancy associated with diabetes itself and with the use of different insulin products and other diabetes treatments. These meetings followed the publication of a series of epidemiological studies in 2009 that raised questions concerning the relative risk of cancer incidence associated with the basal insulin analogue, insulin glargine.

"Recent publications have resurrected awareness and focused attention on an issue that first emerged more than a decade ago, when it was shown that artificial modification of the molecular structure of insulin could result in increased cell division" says Professor Pollak.

"Our review showed that people with diabetes, particularly those with type 2 diabetes, may face an increased risk of cancer and that their cancer may be modified by treatment choices.

"Research suggests that metformin, which is used to treat some patients with diabetes, may provide a protective effect, while insulin and/or certain insulin analogues may promote tumour growth."

The review found that diabetes appears to be associated with an intrinsic increase in cancer incidence. A number of meta-analyses have been carried out, showing that:

• Diabetic patients were 30 per cent more likely to develop colorectal cancer (15 studies covering 2.5 million patients).
• Women with diabetes had a 20 per cent greater risk of developing breast cancer, according to 20 studies.
• People with diabetes had an 82 per cent higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer (36 studies covering more than 9,000 patients).

"The excess risk of pancreatic cancer was highest among those who had only had diabetes a short time, suggesting that the cancer could cause the diabetes" says Professor Pollak. "However, the incidence of this cancer in people with a longer history of diabetes does suggest there may also be an intrinsic cancer risk from diabetes.

"It is also important to remember that diabetes is often associated with other illnesses and risk factors, such as obesity and physical inactivity, that may in themselves increase the cancer risk."

The authors are keen to point out that the current evidence is far from clear-cut and further research is needed to examine the risks and mechanisms that appear to link insulin with tumour growth.

"In the meantime, we agree with statements issued by the major diabetes organisations that there is no need to panic" says Professor Pollak. "Insulin has an excellent risk benefit ratio and any absolute risks between the different treatments are likely to be small.

"However, careful consideration of the choices available might be wise for patients who face a high biological risk of cancer, for example those with a family or personal history of cancer. Clinicians need to be prepared to provide up-to-date advice to these people, as ongoing research continues.

"It is important to recognise that the initially surprising observation that diabetics receiving metformin treatment are substantially less likely to have cancer than expected have now been reproduced in several studies. The possibility that this off-patent drug may have uses in cancer prevention or treatment, as well as in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, is receiving serious attention from research teams of endocrinologists and oncologists."

The authors believe that future work may uncover links between insulin use and cancer risk. "Laboratory experiments have shown that some cancers respond to insulin and there are precedents where hormone therapy increases cancer risk, such as post-menopausal oestrogen replacement" says Professor Pollak.

"However, the absolute risks involved need to be characterised and placed in the context of the high absolute risks for the other more familiar morbid endpoints of diabetes. We must not lose sight of the fact that the most pressing issues facing the majority of people with diabetes, and their physicians, are those relating to glucose control and the reduction of the well-known and serious consequences of poorly controlled diabetes."

Pollak et al. Insulin analogues and cancer risk: cause for concern or cause celebre? International Journal of Clinical Practice, 2010; DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-1241.2010.02354.x

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100302093334.htm

Research: How You Think About Your Age May Affect How You Age

ScienceDaily (Mar. 4, 2010) — The saying "You're only as old as you feel" really seems to resonate with older adults, according to research from Purdue University.

"How old you are matters, but beyond that it's your interpretation that has far-reaching implications for the process of aging," said Markus H. Schafer, a doctoral student in sociology and gerontology who led the study. "So, if you feel old beyond your own chronological years you are probably going to experience a lot of the downsides that we associate with aging.

"But if you are older and maintain a sense of being younger, then that gives you an edge in maintaining a lot of the abilities you prize."

Schafer and co-author Tetyana P. Shippee, a Purdue graduate who is a research associate at Purdue's Center on Aging and the Life Course, compared people's chronological age and their subjective age to determine which one has a greater influence on cognitive abilities during older adulthood. Nearly 500 people ages 55-74 were surveyed about aging in 1995 and 2005 as part of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States.

In 1995, when people were asked what age do you feel most of the time, the majority identified with being 12 years younger than they actually were.

"We found that these people who felt young for their age were more likely to have greater confidence about their cognitive abilities a decade later," Schafer said. "Yes, chronological age was important, but the subjective age had a stronger effect.

"What we are not sure about is what comes first. Does a person's wellness and happiness affect their cognitive abilities or does a person's cognitive ability contribute to their sense of wellness. We are planning to address this in a future study."

Schafer also said that the current study's findings have both positive and negative implications.

"There is a tremendous emphasis on being youthful in our society and that can have a negative effect for people," Schafer said. "People want to feel younger, and so when they do inevitably age they can lose a lot of confidence in their cognitive abilities.

"But on the other hand, because there is such a desire in America to stay young, there may be benefits of trying to maintain a sense of youthfulness by keeping up with new trends and activities that feel invigorating. Learning new technologies is one way people can continue to improve their cognitive abilities. It will be interesting to see how, or if, these cultural norms shift as the Baby Boomer generation ages."

Other studies have shown that women are prone to aging stereotypes, so Schafer expected to see that women who felt older about themselves would have less confidence in their cognitive abilities.

"There is a slight difference between men and women, but it's not as pronounced as we expected," Schafer said. "This was surprising because of the emphasis on physical attractiveness and youth that is often disproportionately placed on women."

Schafer also is studying how stressful events, such as family members' health issues, affect aging, as well as how happiness and aging relate.

These finding were published in January's Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, and the study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Markus H. Schafer and Tetyana P. Shippee. Age Identity, Gender, and Perceptions of Decline: Does Feeling Older Lead to Pessimistic Dispositions About Cognitive Aging? The Journals of Gerontology Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 2010; 65b (1): 91

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100302123144.htm