The Center for Energy Medicine » Nutrition

Thiamine ‘reverses kidney damage

Energy Doc — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:21:59 +0000

Doses of vitamin B1 (thiamine) can reverse early kidney disease in people with type 2 diabetes, research shows.
The team from Warwick University tested the effect of vitamin B1, which is found in meat, yeast and grain, on 40 patients from Pakistan.
The treatment stopped the loss of a key protein in the urine, the journal Diabetologia reports.
Charity Diabetes UK called the results “very promising” – but said it was too early for any firm conclusions.
The latest findings build on earlier work by the Warwick University team, showing that many diabetes patients have a deficiency of thiamine.
According to the researchers, this cheap and readily available supplement could benefit most people with diabetes – both type 1 and type 2 – as between 70% and 90% of people with diabetes are thiamine deficient.
In diabetes the small blood vessels in the body can become damaged.
We would not advise that people look to vitamin supplements to reduce their risk of kidney complications at this stage
Dr Iain Frame of Diabetes UK
When the blood vessels that supply blood to the kidneys are involved, the kidneys stop working correctly and important proteins, such as albumin, are lost from the blood into the urine.
A third of the patients in the study saw a return to normal urinary albumin excretion after being treated with high dose (300mg) thiamine taken orally each day for three months.
The experts say thiamine works by helping protect cells against the harmful effects of the high blood sugar levels found in diabetes.
Lead researcher Professor Paul Thornalley said: “This is the first study of its kind and suggests that correcting thiamine deficiency in people with diabetes with thiamine supplements may provide improved therapy for early-stage kidney disease.”
They plan more work to confirm their findings.
Dr Iain Frame of Diabetes UK said: “Diabetes UK hopes a large clinical trial will be possible as results so far are very promising.
“However, we would like to stress that it’s still too early to come to any firm conclusions about the role of vitamin B1 and we would not advise that people look to vitamin supplements to reduce their risk of kidney complications at this stage.”
A person should be able to get all the thiamine they need from a normal healthy diet.

Microwave-popcorn fumes a home hazard?

Energy Doc — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:50:23 +0000

By MARCUS KABEL
The Associated Press
Consumers, not just factory workers, may be in danger from fumes from buttery flavoring in microwave popcorn, according to a warning letter to federal regulators from a doctor at a leading lung-research hospital.
A pulmonary specialist at Denver’s National Jewish Medical and Research Center has written to federal agencies to say doctors there believe they have the first case of a consumer who developed lung disease from the fumes of microwaving popcorn several times a day for years.
“We cannot be sure that this patient’s exposure to butter-flavored microwave popcorn from daily heavy preparation has caused his lung disease,” said Dr. Cecile Rose. “However, we have no other plausible explanation.”
The July letter, made public Tuesday by a public-health policy blog, refers to a potentially fatal disease commonly called popcorn lung that has been the subject of lawsuits by hundreds of workers at food factories exposed to chemicals used for flavoring.
In response to Rose’s finding, the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association issued a statement Tuesday recommending that its members reduce “to the extent possible” the amount of diacetyl in butter flavorings they make. It noted that diacetyl is approved for use in flavors by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
One national popcorn manufacturer, Weaver Popcorn, of Indianapolis, said last week it would replace the butter-flavoring ingredient because of consumer concern. Congress also has been debating new safety measures for workers in food-processing plants exposed to diacetyl.
The FDA said in an e-mail it is evaluating Rose’s letter and “carefully considering the safety and regulatory issues it raises.”
Fred Blosser, spokesman for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, said it is the first case the institute has seen of lung disease apparently linked to popcorn fumes outside the workplace.
The occupational-safety arm of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is working on a response to the letter.
William Allstetter, spokesman for National Jewish Medical, confirmed the letter was sent by Rose, a specialist in occupational and environmental lung diseases and director of the hospital’s Occupational and Environmental Medicine Clinic.
In the letter, Rose acknowledged it is difficult to confirm through one case that popping buttered microwave popcorn at home can cause lung disease.
However, she said she wanted to alert regulators of the potential public-health implications.
Rose said the patient, a man she wouldn’t identify, consumed “several bags of extra-butter-flavored microwave popcorn” every day for several years.
He described progressively worsening respiratory symptoms of coughing and shortness of breath. Tests found his ability to exhale was deteriorating, Rose said, although his condition seemed to stabilize after he quit making microwave popcorn.
She said her staff measured airborne levels of diacetyl in the patient’s home when he cooked the popcorn. The levels were “similar to those reported in the microwave-oven exhaust area” at the quality-assurance unit of the popcorn plant where the affected employees worked, she said.
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company

Broccoli Sprouts, Cabbage, Ginkgo Biloba And Garlic: A Grocery List For Cancer Prevention

Energy Doc — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 18:42:06 +0000

ScienceDaily (Oct. 31, 2005) — In the high-tech 21st century, the most rudimentary natural products continue to reveal exciting ant-cancer properties to scientists, offering people relatively simple ways to help protect themselves from the disease.
Five studies presented today during the American Association for Cancer Research’s 4th annual Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research meeting in Baltimore, Md., add to the arsenal of research that shows adding certain vegetables and herbs to the diet can prevent or, in some cases, halt the growth of cancer.
Moreover, it is not just a matter of mechanical prevention, such as adding fiber to the diet to maintain digestive health. This research deals with the chemical interactions between compounds found in foods and the body’s cells and DNA, and it shows that the addition of these foods to the diet can reap benefits at any stage of life.
Broccoli Sprouts Relieve Gastritis in H. pylori Patients; May Help Prevent Gastric Cancer (Abstract #3442)
Broccoli sprouts may not be a culinary favorite for some, but their chemical properties are becoming increasingly popular among those interested in preventing cancer.
In the latest series of studies, a team from Japan has found that a diet rich in broccoli sprouts significantly reduced Helicobacteri pylori (H. pylori) infection among a group of 20 individuals. H. pylori is known to cause gastritis and is believed to be a major factor in peptic ulcer and stomach cancer.
“Even though we were unable to eradicate H. pylori, to be able suppress it and relieve the accompanying gastritis by means as simple as eating more broccoli sprouts is good news for the many people who are infected,” said Akinori Yanaka from the University of Tsukuba, Japan, lead investigator of the study.
Scientists are focusing on the anti-cancer properties of a chemical derived from broccoli sprouts called sulforaphane. Among other things, this chemical has the ability to help cells defend against oxidants, the highly reactive and toxic molecules that damage DNA and kill cells, leading potentially to cancer. Previously, researchers working with H. pylori discovered that sulforaphane acts against the bacterium in vitro, alleviating gastritis in H. pylori-infected mice through its antioxidant activity.
None of these findings had been tested in people, however, until the Yanaka-led team added broccoli sprouts (the plant at its youngest and most sulforaphane-rich, just two or three days old) to the diet of 20 individuals infected with H. pylori. Another group of 20 infected with the bacterium received alfalfa spouts instead of broccoli sprouts. Each received 100 grams of fresh sprouts daily for two months.
“We wanted to test alfalfa spouts together with broccoli sprouts,” Yanaka explained, “because the chemical constituents of the two plants are almost identical.”
However, the way in which they differ is significant. Broccoli sprouts contain 250 milligrams of sulforaphane glucosinolate per 100 grams per serving, whereas alfalfa sprouts contain neither sulforaphane nor sulforaphane glucosinolate.
Glucosinolates occur in cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli and cabbage, and are broken down enzymatically into sulforaphane and a variety of other, biologically active compounds when damage occurs to the plant–that is, by cutting or chewing it.
The presence of H. pylori was assessed by performing urea breath tests and evaluating H. pylori-specific stool antigen. The degree of gastritis was evaluated by measuring the level of pepsinogen in the blood. Pepsinogen is also an indicator of gastric atrophy. These tests were performed just before adding broccoli and alfalfa sprouts to the diet, and at one and two months after starting the dietary regimen. Following two months’ consumption of 100 grams of broccoli sprouts per day, patients showed significantly less H. pylori and markedly decreased pepsinogen. Alfalfa sprouts had no effect, and the broccoli failed to eliminate H. pylori completely. Two months after eliminating broccoli sprouts from the diet, H. pylori and pepsinogen returned to pre-test levels in the subjects.
“The data suggest strongly that a diet rich in sulforaphane glucosinolate may help protect against gastric cancer, presumably by activating gastric mucosal anti-oxidant enzymes that can protect the cells from H. pylori-induced DNA damage,” Yanaka concluded.
Broccoli Sprout-extract Protects Against Skin Cancer from UV Light in High-risk Mice (Abstract #2597)
Eat it or wear it? That is the question.
If you ask Albena T. Dinkova-Kostova, Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, she will likely answer “both.”
In the laboratory of Paul Talalay, M.D., who first reported the indirect antioxidant properties of sulforaphane, the compound derived from cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, Dinkova-Kostova and her colleagues applied broccoli sprout extract to the skin of hairless mice, and found it counteracted the carcinogenic response to ultraviolet light exposure.
Mice from a strain characterized by post-weaning hair loss were exposed to a dose of UV light comparable to what a person would get sunbathing at the beach on a clear day, twice a week for 20 weeks. After irradiation, broccoli sprout extracts containing either a low or high dose of sulforaphane were applied to the backs of the mice, five days a week for 11 weeks. Acetone (known commonly as the ingredient in nail polish remover) was used as the vehicle for delivering the sulforaphane, and it alone was applied on the control group. At the conclusion of the study period, 100 percent of the control mice had developed cancerous skin tumors.
The incidence and number of tumors was reduced by half, however, in the mice receiving the high dose of broccoli sprout extract. The rate of tumor reduction was less among the low-dose recipients, but even in their case, some benefit was observed.
“We weren’t looking for a sunscreen effect,” Dinkova-Kostova is quick to point out. “The sulforaphane-containing extract was applied after the period of regular exposure to ultra-violet light. That’s more relevant, since most people receive some sun damage to their skin in childhood, particularly adults who grew up before effective sunscreen lotions were developed.”
Previous research has shown that sulforaphane boosts protective and detoxifying reactions in cells, inactivating carcinogens and reactive oxygen intermediates that contribute to the disease by damaging DNA. As in other studies involving the anti-cancer potential of sulforaphane, Dinkova-Kostova’s group notes that broccoli sprouts contain much more of the compound than adult broccoli.
“Our findings suggest a promising strategy for skin cancer prevention after exposure to UV light,” Dinkova-Kostova said.
Change in Diet at Any Age May Help Protect Against Breast Cancer (Abstract #3697)
Many find it to be the perfect companion to hot dogs and sausage, but new studies suggest that sauerkraut may have another beneficial side effect — it may protect women from breast cancer.
Results from the U.S. component of the Polish Women’s Health Study are showing an association between cabbage and sauerkraut consumption, and a constituent called glucosinolate, and a lower risk of breast cancer. The influence seemed to be highest among women who consumed high amounts beginning in adolescence and throughout adulthood.
“The observed pattern of risk reduction indicates that the breakdown products of glucosinolates in cabbage may affect both the initiation phase of carcinogenesis–by decreasing the amount of DNA damage and cell mutation–and the promotion phase–by blocking the processes that inhibit programmed cell death and stimulate unregulated cell growth,” said Dorothy Rybaczyk- Pathak, Ph.D., from the University of New Mexico.
Pathak, along with colleagues from Michigan State University and the National Food and Nutrition Institute of Warsaw, Poland, evaluated the diet of Polish immigrants to the United States, living in Chicago and surrounding Cook County, Ill., and the Detroit, Mich., metropolitan area. Women with higher rates of raw- or short-cooked cabbage and sauerkraut consumption, three or more servings per week, compared to those who consumed less than one serving a week, had a significantly reduced breast cancer risk.
Like broccoli, cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable–its flowers are in the shape of a cross–and a member of the Brassica family, which includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, collard greens and cauliflower. These plants contain glucosinolates and the enzyme myrosinase which, when broken down by chewing or cutting, release several biologically active products which previous studies have shown to possess anti-carcinogenic properties.
Pathak began the study by wondering why the breast cancer risk of Polish women rose three-fold after they immigrated to the United States. She hypothesized that dietary changes were among the environmental factors contributing to this rapid increase in risk. In Poland, where abundance of food is a recent phenomenon, women traditionally eat an average of 30 pounds of cabbage and sauerkraut per year, as opposed to just 10 pounds per year among American women. Moreover, Polish women traditionally eat more raw cabbage and sauerkraut, in salads, or short-cooked, as a side dish.
She observed the lowest rate of breast cancer among women who consumed high amounts of raw- or short-cooked cabbage during adolescence, but found that high consumption during adulthood provided a significant protective effect for women who had eaten smaller quantities of this vegetable during adolescence. Cabbage cooked a long time, such as in hunter’s stew, cabbage rolls and pierogi, had no bearing on breast cancer risk.
Possible Chemoprevention of Ovarian Cancer by the Herbal, Ginkgo Biloba (Abstract #3654)
Researchers in Boston, led by Drs. Bin Ye and Daniel Cramer of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, have developed new laboratory and epidemiological evidence that demonstrates, for the first time, that ginkgo biloba appears to lower the risk of developing ovarian cancer.
In a population-based study which involved more than 600 ovarian cancer cases and 640 healthy, matched controls, women who took ginkgo supplements for six months or longer were shown to have a 60 percent lower risk for ovarian cancer.
Ye and his colleagues found that ginkgo, echinacea, St. John’s Wort, ginseng, and chondroitin were the most commonly used herbals among study participants. A further analysis of the data showed that ginkgo was the only herb linked to ovarian cancer prevention. The preventive effect was more pronounced in women with non-muncious ovarian cancers, with data showing that ginkgo may reduce the risk of this type of ovarian cancer by 65-70 percent. “Among the mixture of ginkgo chemicals,” said Ye, “we found laboratory evidence that ginkgolide A and B–terpene compounds–are the most active components contributing to this protective effect.”
Ye’s team, which included scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard Medical School, Boston University and Linden Bioscience, next took the evidence demonstrated by their population studies to the laboratory. In vitro experiments showed that a low dosage of ginkgolide caused ovarian cancer cells to stop growing. They observed significant cell cycle blockage in non-mucinous ovarian cancer cells. Ginkgolides appeared to be less effective against the mucinous type of ovarian cancer cells.
“While the detailed mechanism of ginkgo action on ovarian cancer cells is not yet well understood,” Ye explained, “from the existing literature it most likely that ginkgo and ginkgolides are involved in anti-inflammation and anti-angiogenesis processes via many extra- and intra-cellular signal pathways. In the future, these findings could potentially offer a new strategy for ovarian cancer prevention and therapy, using the active forms of ginkgolides.”
Ovarian cancer is the most deadly of all gynecological cancers. It is called a “silent killer” because most cases are discovered only in very advanced stages.
Changing Genes: Garlic Shown to Inhibit DNA Damaging Chemical in Breast Cancer (Abstract #2543)
Legend suggests that garlic may ward off evil spirits, such as vampires. Now scientists are finding that garlic, or a flavor component of pungent herb, may help ward off carcinogens produced by meat cooked at high temperatures.
Cooking protein-rich foods like meats and eggs at high temperatures releases a chemical called PhIP, a suspected carcinogen. Epidemiological studies have shown that the incidence of breast cancer is higher among women who eat large quantities of meat, although fat and caloric intake and hormone exposure may contribute to this increased risk.
Diallyl sulfide (DAS), a flavor component of garlic, has been shown to inhibit the effects of PhIP that, when biologically active, can cause DNA damage or transform substances in the body into carcinogens.
Ronald D. Thomas, Ph.D., and a team of researchers at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee hypothesized that PhIP enhances the metabolism of the enzymes linked to carcinogenesis. They further suggested that the diallyl sulfide derived from garlic might counter this activity.
“We treated human breast epithelial cells with equal amounts of PhIP and DAS separately, and the two together, for periods ranging from three to 24 hours,” said Thomas. “PhIP induced expression of the cancer-causing enzyme at every stage, up to 40-fold, while DAS completely inhibited the PhIP enzyme from becoming carcinogenic.”
The finding demonstrates for the first time that DAS triggers a gene alteration in PhIP that may play a significant role in preventing cancer, notably breast cancer, induced by PhIP in well-done meats.
Thomas noted that no studies have shown a link between cooking vegetables and fruits and PhIP, regardless of the method used.
Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research is a professional society of more than 24,000 laboratory, translational, and clinical scientists engaged in all areas of cancer research in the United States and in more than 60 other countries. AACR’s mission is to accelerate the prevention and cure of cancer through research, education, communication, and advocacy. Its principal activities include the publication of five major peer-reviewed scientific journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; and Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. AACR’s Annual Meetings attract nearly 16,000 participants who share new and significant discoveries in the cancer field. Specialty meetings, held throughout the year, focus on the latest developments in all areas of cancer research.
Adapted from materials provided by American Association for Cancer Research.
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Food additives may cause hyperactivity: study

Energy Doc — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 13:56:52 +0000

Wed Sep 5, 2007 6:32 PM ET
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Certain artificial food colorings and other additives can worsen hyperactive behaviors in children aged 3 to 9, British researchers reported on Wednesday.
Tests on more than 300 children showed significant differences in their behavior when they drank fruit drinks spiked with a mixture of food colorings and preservatives, Jim Stevenson and colleagues at the University of Southampton said.
“These findings show that adverse effects are not just seen in children with extreme hyperactivity (such as ADHD) but can also be seen in the general population and across the range of severities of hyperactivity,” the researchers wrote in their study, published in the Lancet medical journal.
Stevenson’s team, which has been studying the effects of food additives in children for years, made up two mixtures to test in one group of 3-year-olds and a second group of children aged 8 and 9.
They included sunset yellow coloring, also known as E110; carmoisine, or E122; tartrazine, or E102; ponceau 4R, or E124; the preservative sodium benzoate, or E211; and other colors.
One of the two mixtures contained ingredients commonly drunk by young British children in popular drinks, they said. They did not specify what foods might include the additives.
Both mixtures significantly affected the older children. The 3-year-olds were most affected by the mixture that closely resembled the average intake for children that age, Stevenson’s team reported.
“The implications of these results for the regulation of food additive use could be substantial,” the researchers concluded.
ONGOING DEBATE
The issue of whether food additives can affect children’s behavior has been controversial for decades.
Benjamin Feingold, an allergist, has written books arguing that not only did artificial colors, flavors and preservatives affect children but so did natural salicylate compounds found in some fruits and vegetables.
Several studies have contradicted this notion.
Stevenson’s team made up several batches of fruit drinks and carefully watched the children after they drank them. Some did not contain the additives.
The children varied in their responses but in general reacted poorly to the cocktails, Stevenson’s team reported.
“We have found an adverse effect of food additives on the hyperactive behavior of 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children,” they wrote.
Dr. Sue Baic, a registered dietitian at the University of Bristol, said in a statement: “This is a well designed and potentially very important study.”
“It supports what dietitians have known for a long time, that feeding children on diets largely consisting of heavily processed foods which may also be high in fat, salt or sugar is not optimal for health.”
Others disagreed.
“The paper shows some statistical associations. It is not a demonstration of cause and effect,” said Dr. Paul Illing, a registered toxicologist and safety consultant in Wirral, Britain.

More vitamin D could mean fewer cancers: study

Energy Doc — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 13:53:47 +0000

Wed Sep 5, 2007 11:05 AM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Thousands of cases of breast and colon cancers might be averted each year if people in colder climates raised their vitamin D levels, researchers estimate in a new report.
A number of studies have suggested that vitamin D may be important in cancer risk. Much of this research is based on cancer rates at different latitudes of the globe; rates of breast, colon and ovarian cancer, for example, are lower in sunnier regions of the world than in Northern climates where cold winters limit people’s sun exposure.
Sunlight triggers the synthesis of vitamin D in the skin, and people who get little sun exposure tend to have lower stores of the vitamin.
Complementing these studies are lab experiments showing that vitamin D helps prevent cancer cells from growing and spreading, as well as some clinical trials in which people given high doses of vitamin D showed lower cancer risks.
For the new study, researchers at the University of California used data on average wintertime blood levels of vitamin D and rates of breast and colon cancers in 15 countries.
They found that rates of the diseases tended to fall as average vitamin D levels climbed, according to their report in the journal Nutrition Reviews. The protective effect against colon cancer seemed to begin when blood levels of vitamin D reached 22 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL); for breast cancer, that number was 32 ng/mL.
The average late-winter vitamin D level among Americans is 15 to 18 ng/mL, according to the researchers.
They argue that, based on their data, if Americans were able to maintain a vitamin D level of at least 55 ng/mL, 60,000 cases of colon cancer and 85,000 cases of breast cancer could be prevented every year. Worldwide, those figures could be 250,000 and 350,000, respectively.
“This could be best achieved with a combination of diet, supplements and short intervals — 10 or 15 minutes a day — in the sun,” lead study author Dr. Cedric F. Garland, a cancer prevention specialist at the University of California San Diego, said in a statement.
No one is recommending that people bake in the sun to reach high vitamin D blood levels. According to Garland, spending a matter of minutes in the midday sun, with 40 percent of the skin exposed, is enough. For fair-skinned people, the researchers estimate that just 3 minutes in the sun can be adequate, while darker-skinned people may need about 15 minutes.
A lifeguard in Southern California, Garland said, may have little need for extra vitamin D to reach potentially protective levels, whereas a Northerner who tends to stay indoors much of the year may need much more.
Garland and his colleagues recommend that, in addition to modest sun exposure, adults get 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day — which is the “tolerable upper intake level” set by U.S. health officials.
That limit exists because of the risk of vitamin D toxicity, which causes elevated calcium levels in the blood and problems such as nausea, weight loss, fatigue and kidney dysfunction.
SOURCE: Nutrition Reviews, August 2007.

Spike in kids’ health issues foretells problems

Energy Doc — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 13:05:14 +0000

Rise in chronic ills may up health-care spending, disability risk, experts say
Reuters
Updated: 7:50 p.m. ET June 26, 2007
WASHINGTON – The number of U.S. children with chronic health problems such as obesity has soared in the past four decades, foreshadowing increases in adult disability and public health-care spending, researchers said on Tuesday.
More time in front of the television and use of other electronic media, decreased physical activity, increased time spent indoors, increased consumption of fast foods and sugar-sweetened beverages, and changes in parenting are all likely to blame, the researchers said.
Writing in an issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association devoted to childhood chronic disease, researchers tracked rising rates of obesity, asthma and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, among U.S. children.
In the early 1970s, about 5 percent of children ages 5 to 18 were obese, compared to about 18 percent now, the researchers said. Asthma rates are estimated at 9 percent among these children, doubling since the 1980s, they said.
About 6 percent of school-age children currently report an ADHD diagnosis, also a dramatic increase in recent decades, the researchers said.
“The expanding epidemics of child and adolescent chronic health conditions will likely lead to major increases in disability among young and then older adults in the next several decades, with major increases in public expenditures for health care and income support,” the researchers wrote.
They based their estimates on government data and previously published research in scientific journals.
Focus on prevention
“One of the most important messages is that we really need to focus on prevention,” said Steven Gortmaker of the Harvard School of Public Health, who worked on the report.
“Genetic bases have been described for obesity, asthma and ADHD. Nonetheless, gene pool changes cannot explain the recent dramatic growth of these conditions,” the researchers wrote, pointing instead to a host of behavioral and environmental changes.
Gortmaker said while prevention sounds simple — eating a more healthful diet, getting more exercise and cutting down on TV — making it happen is not.
In many children, chronic health conditions continue into adulthood and can be expected to raise health care costs while driving down quality of life, the researchers said.
Obesity is recognized as a growing public health problem worldwide. Obese people are at greater risk for diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and some cancers.
ADHD persists into adulthood roughly half the time, putting people at higher risk of other mental health problems, the researchers said. Asthma persists to adulthood in at least a quarter of childhood cases, they said.

March is National Nutrition Month

Energy Doc — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 05:45:51 +0000

Making Smart Food and Dietary Supplement Choices

Research increasingly validates the connections between nutrition and health and the types and amounts of food we eat. Science also helps us understand the impact of nutrition on the likelihood of developing certain diseases as well as the likelihood of maintaining good health and increasing longevity. For example, we know that both dietary excesses and deficiencies are linked to certain diseases. Obesity and high fat diets are established risk factors for the development of coronary heart disease, many types of cancers, ischemic stroke and type 2 diabetes. In fact, these four conditions alone account for approximately 85% of all deaths in the United States.

On the other hand, nutrient deficiencies in our modern diets have also been connected to numerous health conditions. For example, we know that suboptimal intakes of calcium and vitamin D can lead to osteoporosis and inadequate intakes of folic acid at conception and during pregnancy can increase a women’s risk of having a baby with a serious birth defect. Yet many Americans fail to consume the recommended servings of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low fat dairy products to meet their nutritional needs. Many of us rely on fast and convenience foods that are highly refined and often low in vitamin and mineral content. And to make matters worse, as we age we tend to absorb nutrients from food less efficiently. So in honor of National Nutrition Month, vow to improve your nutrition, which in turn will help reduce your risk of disease and promote lifelong health and well-being. Commit to making smarter food choices, achieving or maintaining a healthy weight, and taking appropriate dietary supplements to fill in nutritional gaps, address your specific health needs or assist you in weight management.

Let’s start with making smarter food choices. Unless you’re a farmer or rancher growing, raising and harvesting your own food, chances are you’re like most Americans and find it a challenge to get back to basics and do some home cooking. Finding the time these days to make it to the grocery store to shop for healthy food choices may be difficult. And even if you do make it to the store, taking the time needed to rummage through the aisles and select the smartest food choices from over 40,000 items you’ll find there can be overwhelming. So, to help make your next trip through the grocery store a little bit easier, here are some basic supermarket survival tips:

. Most grocery stores are arranged in about the same way, with the freshest foods placed around the perimeter, or the “square,” of the store. That’s where you’ll find the fresh produce, low fat dairy foods, lean meat (poultry, fish, etc.), and whole grain breads-and that’s where you should start.
. Make your first stop in the produce section, where you can choose fresh fruits and vegetables that are low in calories, high in fiber, and abundant in vitamins and minerals. Dark green and deep orange-yellow fruits and vegetables are better choices than pale colored produce. Take advantage of buying organic produce, if you can (less pesticide exposure).
. Next is a visit to the dairy section. Choose nonfat or 1% fat products, which are a great source of quality protein, calcium, and vitamin D without too many calories. If you are a soy milk drinker, you will probably find the ready-to-drink, refrigerated soy milk there, too. Look for a low-fat version.
. On to the meat section, where you should look for lean, protein-rich foods such as skinless chicken or turkey breast meat, fresh fish, extra-lean beef, and extra-lean ground turkey made from white meat. Diets higher in protein may aid in weight loss because studies suggest that protein helps control hunger.
. Then follow your nose to the bakery section. Skip the unhealthy stuff like
muffins, donuts, and scones, and look for whole grain breads that are high in fiber and low in fat, such as 100% whole wheat bread, pitas, and tortillas.
. Once you’ve shopped the square, make a brief trip to the inner aisles to
grab some brown rice and whole grain cereal.

Next, if you’re like 65% of Americans, overweight or obese, now is the time to achieve a healthy weight that’s right for you. And the good news is that you don’t have to lose a lot of weight to reduce your risk for disease and improve your health. A modest weight loss of 5-10% in body weight (10 lbs. for example) can significantly reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease and can also help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Achieving a healthy weight starts by watching your caloric intake and the best way is to make modest decreases in the amount of food you eat each day combined with a significant boost in your level of physical activity. Commit to a comprehensive weight management program, designed to help your body preserve lean muscle which is essential to weight management success. Preserving lean muscle while you lose weight from fat helps preserve your metabolic rate or your ability to burn calories.

And while you’re making those smarter food choices and achieving a healthy weight, remember to make wise supplement choices a part of your daily routine. Despite our best efforts to eat healthier, it never hurts to get some nutrition insurance with a balanced multivitamin/mineral supplement. Supplemental calcium, vitamin D, and the antioxidant vitamins C and E should also be considered. In fact most of us fall short in getting the recommended amount of calcium each day, so taking at least 1,000 mg of supplemental calcium each day is a smart choice, especially for women who are at higher risk of developing osteoporosis.

Adding in other supplemental nutrients that are supported by strong scientific evidence for their potential health benefits is also highly recommended. For example, the research supporting the health benefits of omega 3 fatty acids continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Increasing one’s intake of the omega 3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, has been associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease and significant improvements in various inflammatory disorders. Higher intakes of EPA and DHA also help to retain normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Although omega 3 fatty acid rich fish is a great way to get omega 3 fatty acids, many people are concerned today about heavy metal and PCB contamination in fish. Therefore, one of the best and safest ways to get your omega 3s is to choose a highly purified omega 3 fatty acid rich fish oil supplement each and every day.Certainly, the old adage from our mothers and grandmothers continues to be valid: “we are what we eat.” So again, make a special effort on behalf of National Nutrition Month to improve “what you are” by eating plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits, lean protein and whole grains. Achieve a healthy weight by cutting your portion sizes, boosting your physical activity and following a weight management program designed to help you preserve lean muscle, and be sure to include a wise array of appropriate dietary supplements to fill in your nutrition gaps, address specific health needs and assist in your weight management efforts.
Here’s to being the best you can be!
Dr. Jamie McManus MD, FAAFP
Chairman, Medical Affairs, Health Sciences and Education

A vitamin a day may do more harm than good

Energy Doc — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 09:18:53 +0000

What’s in your daily vitamin? You may be surprised, according to a new report.
• Harmful vitamins?
Jan. 19: Tod Cooperman of Consumerlab.com talks with TODAY host Matt Lauer about his company’s report, which finds that some vitamins may actually be hazardous to your health.
If you’re banking on a daily vitamin to make up for any deficiencies in your diet, you may be getting a whole lot more — or less — than you bargained for.
Of 21 brands of multivitamins on the market in the United States and Canada selected by ConsumerLab.com and tested by independent laboratories, just 10 met the stated claims on their labels or satisfied other quality standards.
Most worrisome, according to ConsumerLab.com president Dr. Tod Cooperman, is that one product, The Vitamin Shoppe Multivitamins Especially for Women, was contaminated with lead.
“I was definitely shocked by the amount of lead in [this] woman’s product,” he said. “We’ve never seen that much lead in a multivitamin before.”
Other products contained more or less of a particular vitamin than listed on the label. And some did not dissolve in the correct amount of time, meaning they could potentially pass through the body without being fully absorbed.
“Half the products were fine, half were not,” said Cooperman.
ConsumerLab.com is a Westchester, N.Y.-based company that independently evaluates hundreds of health and nutrition products and periodically publishes reviews. In the new report, released to MSNBC.com, the company purchased a selection of the popular multivitamins on the market as well as some smaller brands and sent them, without labels, to two independent laboratories to be tested.
On a positive note, several of the most popular multivitamins on the market did pass muster, said David Schardt, a senior nutritionist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group in Washington, D.C.
These included Centrum Silver, Member’s Mark Complete Multi (distributed by Sam’s Club), One A Day Women’s and Flintstones Complete.
“I think this confirms the advice often given: You’re safer choosing a well-known brand sold by some company or store that you have confidence in,” Schardt said. “There are no guarantees but that’s your best bet.”
Tips for picking a multivitamin
Vitamins and other dietary supplements aren’t required to undergo the same testing as medicines, so it’s buyer beware. But there are some steps you can take to help you pick a better product, says David Schardt, a senior nutritionist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group in Washington, D.C. He recommends:
— Choosing well-known mainstream brands by companies that have a lot at stake.
— Buying from large, trusted retailers, not unknown sellers on the Internet.
— Looking on the bottle for a stamp from USP, NSF or ConsumerLab.com. While the stamp doesn’t guarantee the product is safe and effective, it does indicate that the manufacturer has submitted the product for testing to show that it contains what is stated on the label.
— Not spending a fortune on vitamins. Pricey products toting all sorts of “extras” aren’t necessary and may be trouble.
Random vitamin testing isn’t foolproof. For instance, because ConsumerLab.com tested several bottles from a particular lot number of each vitamin, it’s not a given that products produced at a different time would have the exact same contents. But detectable problems are a red flag that there could be problems with a company’s production process.
In the report, tests showed that The Vitamin Shoppe women’s product contained 15.3 micrograms of lead per daily serving of two tablets.
This amount of lead is more than 10 times the amount permitted without a warning in California, the only state that regulates lead in supplements, Cooperman said. On average, most American adults are exposed to about 3 micrograms of lead through food, wine and other sources, he said, and while 15.3 micrograms of lead per day may not be immediately toxic, the mineral is stored in the body and could build up to dangerous levels with time.
“I would be concerned about a woman taking a multivitamin that contains 15.3 micrograms of lead per daily serving,” said Judy Simon, a dietitian at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. Among other effects, she said, lead can contribute to high blood pressure.
The same product also contained just 54 percent of the 200 milligrams of calcium stated on the label.
The analysis also showed that Hero Nutritionals Yummi Bears, a multivitamin for children, had 216 percent of the labeled amount of vitamin A in the retinol form, delivering 5,400 International Units (IU) in a daily serving. That’s substantially more than the upper tolerable level set by the Institute of Medicine of 2,000 IU for kids ages 1 to 3 and 3,000 IU for those 4 to 8.
Because too much vitamin A can cause bone weakening and liver abnormalities, the Yummi Bears “could be potentially doing more harm than good,” Cooperman said. “Vitamin A is one of those vitamins where you really don’t want to get too much.”
Schardt said the lead and vitamin A findings are worrisome because vitamins are generally taken every day, potentially building up to toxic levels and leading to problems down the line. In particular, he noted, women with high levels of lead in their bodies who become pregnant could pass on problems to a fetus.
David Morrison, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs at The Vitamin Shoppe, said his company’s products are all tested more than once, including screening for lead, and he questioned the new results. “It would be very surprising to me if this were actually true,” he said.
Hero Nutritionals did not respond to calls seeking comment.
Steve Mister, president and CEO of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade group in Washington, D.C., that represents supplement manufacturers, said that if the findings on lead and vitamin A are, in fact, accurate, “that is not acceptable for the industry.”
Hero Nutritionals Yummi Bears, a multivitamin for children, had 216 percent of the labeled amount of vitamin A.
But he also said that top manufacturers consistently produce quality products and that with 150 million Americans taking vitamins or other dietary supplements annually, few problems surface.
“If we had a serious issue of safety, we’d be hearing concerns from consumers in large numbers and we’re not,” he said.
The ConsumerLab.com report also found that some vitamins didn’t break apart within the 30-minute standard set by the United States Pharmacopeia. Nature’s Plus Especially Yours for women required more than an hour to disintegrate, while AARP Maturity Formula took 50 minutes.
These products “could potentially go through your body without releasing all the nutrients,” Cooperman said.
Mark Kitchens, an AARP spokesperson, said the Maturity Formula undergoes routine testing, and that during testing in November “among the attributes tested was dissolution and it met FDA requirements.” Still, “as precautionary measures to protect our members” AARP is pulling the product from the market and offering refunds to anyone who has purchased it, he said. How some multivitamins measured up
ConsumerLab.com selected more than 20 brands of multivitamins to be tested by independent laboratories. Here’s a partial list of how some of them fared:
Multivitamins that met standards:
— Centrum Silver
— Member’s Mark Complete Multi
— One A Day Women’s
— Flinstones Complete
Those that failed:
— The Vitamin Shoppe Multivitamins Especially for women: Contaminated with lead
— Hero Nutritionals Yummi Bears: Had twice the labeled amount of vitamin A
— Nature’s Plus Especially Yours for Women: Took twice as long as allowed to disintegrate
— AARP Maturity Formula: Took nearly twice as long as allowed to disintegrate
— Eniva VIBE: Had only 54 percent of claimed vitamin A
— Pet-Tabs Complete Daily Vitamin-Mineral Supplement for Dogs: Contained lead
In other findings, Eniva VIBE, a multivitamin liquid sold in packets, had only 54 percent of the claimed vitamin A.
ConsumerLab.com also tested a vitamin marketed for dogs called Pet-Tabs Complete Daily Vitamin-Mineral Supplement for Dogs and found the product was contaminated with 1.4 micrograms of lead per tablet.
Whether most people — or dogs, for that matter — really need to take a multivitamin is a subject of debate.
Experts agree that prenatal vitamins are important for women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, and that people with very poor diets can benefit from nutrients in a pill.
Schardt says multivitamins offer everyone “an inexpensive insurance policy.” But Cooperman and many dietitians note that it’s better to get your nutrition from a well-balanced diet.
“In many cases, you don’t need a multivitamin,” Cooperman said.
© 2007 MSNBC Interactive.
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Statins and Vitamin D Deficiency

Energy Doc — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 14:35:30 +0000

In my book, Statin Drugs Side Effects and the misguided war on cholesterol, and on this website I have discussed the vital role of cholesterol in the human body. Our most important hormones depend upon adequate reserves of cholesterol for their production and nowhere is this more important than as the precursor substance for the synthesis of Vitamin D, know also as calcitrol.
Researchers in this field are sufficiently concerned from the results of their studies to pronounce that we are in the midst of an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency of immense proportion. Study after study of nursing home populations, of nursing mothers, of healthy male and female volunteers and of various children’s groups have consistently documented how relatively rare it is to have optimal levels of Vitamin D.
Some authorities support more liberal dietary supplementation of Vitamin D in our foodstuff. Others are urging that practical new approaches for vitamin D repletion in our country are urgently needed. This high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, even in those taking multivitamins, indicates that a critical review of vitamin D needs is a major priority.
A vitamin D precursor is synthesized in the skin from cholesterol in response to absorbing UVB rays. It then gets converted in the liver to an intermediate form. In the kidneys it joins with an important enzyme for conversion into its active hormonal form.
Many factors potentially interfere with the UVB conversion. People having darker skins are much more likely to have vitamin D deficiency. The aged skin of the elderly impairs cholesterol conversion as does the presence of obesity. Our present day emphasis on protecting our skin from the sun, using sun-screens and blockers, also cuts down on the ability of UVB to convert cholesterol to vitamin D. Last but not least, one needs UVB exposure.
Without any sun exposure you need about 4,000 units of vitamin D a day. In the absence of other supplements you would need 40 glasses of milk or ten multi-vitamins capsules daily to supply your vitamin D needs. Most of us make about 20,000 units of vitamin D after 20 minutes of summer sun due to UVB conversion of cholesterol. Numerous studies document that the majority of our society falls short of meeting either their dietary of UVB conversion needs for vitamin D.
Now consider the impact of statin drugs on a society already overburdened with an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency. Cholesterol must be available in our bodies in amounts sufficient to allow UVB conversion to vitamin D. We are all genetically blessed with a “natural level” of cholesterol. What is natural for one person may be completely inadequate for another. Into this heterogenous pool we dump statins indiscriminately in a misguided attempt to bring everyone’s natural level of cholesterol down to some artificially low level. Need I add that eight of the nine people making the 2004 cholesterol guidelines were subsidized one way or another by the statin drug manufacturer?
I cannot think of anything more likely to aggravate our already immense, vitamin D deficient state. There is little doubt that the availability of statins drugs these past two decades has made a major contribution to this problem.
Duane Graveline MD MPH
My book, “Statin Drugs Side Effects”, is now
available from my website (www.spacedoc.net)
Duane Graveline MD MPH
4414 Cormorant Lane
Merritt Island FL 32953
321-453-7297

Vitamin D may fight Multiple Sclerosis

Energy Doc — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 18:11:43 +0000

By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer
Tue Dec 19, 8:48 PM ET
CHICAGO – An abundance of vitamin D seems to help prevent multiple sclerosis, according to a study in more than 7 million people that offers some of the strongest evidence yet of the power of the “sunshine vitamin” against MS.
The research found that white members of the U.S. military with the highest blood levels of vitamin D were 62 percent less likely to develop multiple sclerosis than people with low levels.
There was no such connection in blacks or Hispanics, possibly because there were so few in the group studied. Also, the body makes vitamin D from sunlight, and the pigmented skin of blacks and other dark-skinned ethnic groups doesn’t absorb sunlight as easily as pale skin.
The new research echoes findings in smaller studies that examined why the nerve-damaging disease historically has been more common in people who live in regions farther from the equator where there is less intense year-round sunlight.
“This is the first large prospective study where blood levels are measured in young adults and compared to their future risk. It’s definitely different and much stronger evidence,” said Dr. Alberto Ascherio, the senior author and an associate professor of nutrition at Harvard’s School of Public Health.
The study appears in Wednesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association.
“If confirmed, this finding suggests that many cases of MS could be prevented by increasing vitamin D levels,” Ascherio said.
Still, he said the findings don’t prove that a lack of vitamin D can cause MS, so it’s too preliminary to recommend that people take vitamin D pills to avoid the disease.
Vitamin D also is found in fortified milk and oily fish, but it’s hard to get enough just from diet. Sunlight is the biggest source of vitamin D, which is needed for strong bones. Other studies have linked high levels of vitamin D in the blood to lower risks of a variety of cancers.
The MS researchers worked with the Army and Navy in analyzing blood samples of military personnel stored by the Department of Defense.
Military databases showed that 257 service men and women were diagnosed with MS between 1992 and 2004. The increased MS risk was especially strong in people who were younger than 20 when they entered the study. The researchers said that finding suggests that vitamin D exposure before adulthood could be particularly important.
Using blood samples to measure vitamin D levels “tends to nail it down in a much more reliable way” than studies that have relied on people’s memories of vitamin D exposure, said Dr. Nicholas LaRocca of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
MS is among the most common nerve disorders affecting young adults, mostly women. About 350,000 people in the United States and 2 million worldwide have MS, a chronic autoimmune disease in which the body attacks the fatty insulation that surrounds nerve fibers.
Ascherio said there’s some evidence that its incidence is increasing in sunny regions including the South and West, possibly because people are avoiding the sun or using sunscreen to protect against skin cancer.
Some doctors think those practices also have contributed to vitamin D deficiencies in adolescents and young adults.
“There’s no question that vitamin D deficiency is an epidemic in the United States,” said Dr. William Finn, a vitamin D expert at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The MS study “is just one more reason to pay attention to it.”
MS symptoms vary but can be disabling and can include tingling pain in the arms and legs, fatigue and vision problems.
Doctors believe it is genetic and perhaps triggered in susceptible people by environmental causes, including possibly some viruses. Vitamin D deficiency could be another trigger.
It’s unclear how lack of vitamin D might contribute. In mouse experiments, the vitamin stimulated production of chemicals that fight an MS-like disease.
___
On the Net:
JAMA: http://jama.ama-assn.org
National MS Society: http://www.nationalmssociety.org