What Sodium Can Do For You
HIGH-SODIUM DIET LINKED TO ACUTE HEART FAILURE
For the first time, a study has found that, among heart failure patients who are capable of walking, those in the upper third of sodium intake experienced a 46 percent greater risk over three years, of developing acute decompensated heart failure, or ADHF. (ADHF occurs when a stable heart failure condition deteriorates as a result of an added stress such that the body can no longer compensate for its heart-related deficiencies.) The average sodium intakes for each third were 1.4gm, 2.4gm, and 3.8gm of sodium per day; the cumulative three-year rates of ADHF for these groups were 12, 15 and 46 percent for the low, medium and high sodium consumption groups, respectively.
The highest sodium group also exhibited a 39 percent greater chance of hospitalization for whatever reason, and 3.5 times the odds of dying. The study authors called for more stringent sodium intake guidelines than those currently recommended for heart failure patients. This study was released November 17, 2010 but will not be published until a future issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It is available to read online at http://bit.ly/cOxMvB.
Guess Which Juice Fights Cardiovascular Disease & Infection?
POMEGRANATE JUICE!
STUDY FINDS POMEGRANATE JUICE FIGHTS CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, INFECTION
A new study has concluded that drinking pomegranate juice three times daily for one year reduces the incidence of infections, inflammation, and oxidative stress in chronic kidney disease dialysis patients. (Oxidative stress is an imbalance between the production of chemically-reactive molecules containing oxygen and the body’s ability to detoxify them; oxidation is implicated in numerous diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and heart failure.)
This means that pomegranate juice wards off a number of common complications of kidney dialysis, including a higher mortality rate due to infections and cardiovascular disease. (Cardiovascular disease can result from inflammation.) These findings support other studies that found pomegranate juice has a potent antioxidant effect. Pomegranate juice consumption could produce similar benefits in people with healthy kidneys but further research would be required. The study team stressed the need to monitor potassium levels in any juice taken by kidney patients, especially those with dietary potassium restrictions. This study was presented in Denver on the evening of November 18, 2010 at the 43rd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition of the American Society of Nephrology. It has not yet been published and is not yet available online.
Polyphenols & Popcorn?
Popcorn contains surprisingly large amounts of polyphenols, which are healthful antioxidants. And so do some breakfast cereals. Many people are aware of the high fiber content of whole grain snacks, such as popcorn and some cereals, but few are aware of their high levels of polyphenols, which can reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and other disorders. A study finding high polyphenol levels in these foods was presented August 19, 2009 in Washington, DC, by scientists at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
Dim Light at Night Linked to Depression
DIM LIGHT AT NIGHT LINKED TO DEPRESSION
Researchers have found that exposure to even a dim light while sleeping is sufficient to cause physical changes in an area of the brain that is associated with clinical depression. This is the first study to find that light at night, by itself, leads to a lower density of dendritic spines in the hippocampus region of the brain. (Dendritic spines are hair-like growths on brain cells, which are used to send chemical messages from one cell to another.)
One previous study found that bright light during sleep periods causes depressive symptoms and another found light at night is linked to weight gain. But the new study focused on the dim light of 5 lux, which is similar to a switched-on television in an otherwise darkened room. The researchers speculate that exposure to light during sleep suppresses secretion of melatonin, the hormone that lets the body know when it is nighttime. This study was presented November 17, 2010 in San Diego at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. It has not yet been published in a journal and is not yet available online.
Prenatal Exposures & Newborns
PRENATAL EXPOSURE TO NICOTINE AFFECTS NEWBORNS
A new study may explain why children born to mothers who smoke have a greater risk of learning disabilities.
Unborn babies exposed to nicotine, cocaine, or other addictive drugs, end up with a decreased number of cells in the hippocampus, a brain area important in learning and memory.
These findings further suggest that pregnant women should seek help in refraining from smoking very early in pregnancy, as well as avoiding other addictive drugs.
A second study points to an increased risk of drug dependency among children who suffered brain inflammation very early in life. Brain inflammation is most often due to head injury or a viral infection, such as encephalitis or meningitis. Such inflammation early in life, suggests this study, may lead to long-lasting changes to the brain’s reward system that increase the risk of developing drug addiction during adulthood.
Both of these studies were presented in San Diego on November 17, 2010 at Neuroscience 2010, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. Neither study has been published in a journal yet.
Prescription Drugs & Car Crashes?
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS CAUSE THREE PERCENT OF ROAD CRASHES
A study examining at-fault statistics from car accidents in France has found that, over an almost-three-year period, prescribed medicines played a role in 3.3 percent of all crashes. France has a drug-risk classification system that assigns a risk number to all drugs, based on each medicine’s odds of negatively affecting driving ability. The classification numbers run from level zero, meaning no driving risk, to level 3, which represents a major risk. The study found that the risk of being the cause of an auto accident was 31 percent greater for those taking level 2 drugs, and 25 percent higher for level 3 drugs, while level zero drug users showed no increased risk.
This shows that the system is a fairly accurate means of predicting driving risk. It also clarifies the overall proportion of accidents caused by prescription drugs: a significant three percent. The study authors suggested that if any new warning label system is instituted, a follow-up study should be done to confirm its overall effect on outcomes. (Roughly 1.3 million people die in road accidents each year, worldwide.) Published November 16, 2010 by the journal PLoS Medicine, this study is available online at http://bit.ly/a1aiFS, free of charge.
The Link Between Sleep & Inflammation
POOR OR INSUFFICIENT SLEEP INCREASES HEART RISK
Researchers have found that insufficient or poor-quality sleep causes higher levels of inflammation in the body. Inflammation is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
The study team recorded sleep quality, using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index survey, as well as the number of hours of sleep. Subjects regularly getting fewer than six hours of sleep, as well as those regularly getting a poor quality of sleep, had higher levels of three inflammation markers: fibrinogen, IL-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP). People in the highest third of CRP levels have been shown to have roughly twice the risk of heart attack, compared to those with lower levels, according to the American Heart Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Previous studies have shown that people getting between seven and eight hours of sleep live longer, while those getting more than eight, or less than seven, are more likely to have high blood pressure, obesity, or psychological stress. Inflammation may be the mechanism by which poor sleep quality increases heart disease and stroke risk. This study was presented in Chicago on November 14, 2010 at the Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. It has not yet been journal-published.
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Can DHA Help Cognitive Decline?
DHA IMPROVES AGE-RELATED COGNITIVE DECLINE
A new, six-month study has found that the omega-3 fatty acid called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) improves learning and memory function in healthy, older adults with age-related cognitive decline (ARCD).
Fish oils are rich in DHA, which is the most abundant omega-3 fat in the human brain and retina. In previous research, higher DHA intake has been associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
This study – which was reported in the November 2010 issue of the journal, Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association – underscores the importance of early intervention with DHA. Another study – reported in the November 3, 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) – found DHA did not improve cognitive function in those already diagnosed with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. But researchers behind the Alzheimer’s & Dementia study concluded that the key benefit may be seen only when DHA is taken over time and before Alzheimer’s has developed; and the lead author of the JAMA study suggested results may have been different if DHA had been administered before the disease had progressed. The Alzheimer’s & Dementia study is available online now at http://bit.ly/9Y556k.
How to Relieve Arthritis Pain Naturally
TAI CHI RELIEVES ARTHRITIS PAIN
The largest study to date on the Arthritis Foundation’s Tai Chi program has found that participants – including those with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia – showed moderate improvement in pain, fatigue, stiffness and well-being. While some received no tai chi intervention, others took the eight-week, twice-weekly tai chi course. All were assessed after the eight weeks by physical measures, such as walking speed and balance testing, as well as by self-reported differences. Individuals were recruited from urban and rural areas and from a southeastern state, North Carolina, and a northeastern state, New Jersey. Participants were included even if they were unable to stand so long as they could perform tai chi movements. Results proved consistent across these different groups. This study was presented November 8, 2010 at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in Atlanta. It has not yet been reported in a journal and is not available online.
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Smoking & Fatal Breast Cancer
SMOKING INCREASES RISK OF FATAL BREAST CANCER
A study has clarified a link between smoking and breast cancer that is independent of socioeconomic, clinical and lifestyle factors. Women who are current smokers, or who have a history of smoking, have a greater risk of breast cancer progression and a 39 percent higher rate of dying from breast cancer. Smoking has been linked strongly to lung cancer and several other cancers but the association with breast cancer has been unclear.
Smokers, or previous smokers, who were diagnosed with breast cancer also showed double the risk of subsequently dying from non-breast-cancer-related causes compared to women with the disease who had never smoked. The nine year study enrolled 2,265 multi-ethnic women. The researchers presented their findings on November 8, 2010 at the ninth annual Frontiers in Cancer Research hosted by the American Association for Cancer Research, in Philadelphia. It has not yet been published in any of the association’s seven journals and it is not available online.
What You Should Know About Dietary Cholesterol
SAFETY OF DIETARY CHOLESTEROL QUESTIONED
Increasingly, people view dietary sources of cholesterol, such as eggs, as harmless. But a study suggests cholesterol-rich foods should be eaten rarely, especially patients at risk of cardiovascular disease. Research had shown moderate egg consumption to have little effect on fasting cholesterol, indicating low risk. However, this new review found long-term risks from mealtime increases in cholesterol, saturated fats, oxidative stress and inflammation, following cholesterol consumption. After meals, dietary cholesterol increases susceptibility of LDL (bad cholesterol) to oxidation, raises post-meal blood fats, and increases the adverse effects of dietary saturated fat. Moreover, diabetics who consumed one egg a day doubled their risk compared to those who ate less than one egg weekly.
Researchers confirmed earlier recommendations that dietary cholesterol be limited to 200mg a day, pointing out that a single large egg yolk contains 275mg of cholesterol, 125mg more than a KFC Double Down. Researchers concluded that eliminating egg yolks from the diet after a stroke or heart attack is akin to quitting smoking after a lung cancer diagnosis. The study was published in the November, 2010 issue of the Canadian Journal of Cardiology and is available online free at http://bit.ly/dveu1A.
Do Vitamin D Supplements Help Children?
Filed under: A Message from the Doctor, Caring for Your Children
Excellent article worth re-printing:
Bone density blow for vitamin D?
By Nathan Gray, 06-Oct-2010
Vitamin D supplements do not have any effect in boosting bone density for healthy children with normal vitamin D status, according to a new systematic review from the Cochrane collaboration.
The review, published in The Cochrane Library, concludes that supplementation with vitamin D does not improve bone density in the general population of children, but may have benefits for those with very low vitamin D status.
“Vitamin D supplementation had no statistically significant effects on bone density at any site in healthy children. There was, however, some indication that children who had low levels of vitamin D in their blood might benefit from supplementation,” said study leader Dr Tania Winzenberg, of the Menzies Research Institute, Tasmania.
Fragile bones
Osteoporosis is characterised by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissues, leading to high bone fragility and an increased risk of fracture.
Low bone mineral density is a major risk factor for osteoporosis. Previous studies have suggested that up to 90 per cent of bone mass is built during childhood, and increasing bone mass in childhood is seen as a potential way to reduce the impact of osteoporosis
“It is estimated that a 10 per cent increase in peak bone mass reduces the risk of an osteoporotic fracture in adult life by 50 per cent,” stated the researchers.
Vitamin D is known to improve calcium deposition in bones, and previous research has suggested children with vitamin D deficiency have reduced bone density.
“By measuring bone density, you can assess how well an intervention such as vitamin D supplementation improves bone health,” said Dr Winzenberg.
The new Cochrane review assessed the results of six high quality trails looking at vitamin D supplementation and bone density in children, investigating
No effect
The authors reported vitamin D supplementation to have no statistically significant effects on, hip bone, forearm, or whole body bone mineral density. However, a small but statistically insignificant trend was found lumbar spine bone mineral density.
Researchers also found “a trend towards a larger effect with low vitamin D for total body bone mineral concentration”, indicating that low vitamin D status trails reported significant effects on total body bone density and lumbar spine bone density from vitamin D supplementation.
Dr Winzenberg outlined two key findings to take from the review. “First, there is reasonable evidence that giving vitamin D supplements to a general population does very little in terms of bone density.”
“But secondly, if we look at a specific group like deficient children, then the indications are that groups with lower status could see some benefits. But as it stands, the evidence is not good enough to make firm conclusions.”
Further work
Commenting independently on the review, Dr. Ailsa Welch, from the University of East Anglia said that the effects of vitamin D hinge on the baseline status: “If your status is already adequate, then the authors found no effect. But there needs to be more work done to determine the effects in low status children.”
Welch added that she believed the research was “very useful”, and said that the work “points to the need for further research in children.”
Andrew Shao, Ph.D, Senior Vice President of Scientific & Regulatory Affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) highlighted that the authors “had very little data to work with, because there are very few studies in children.”
“Right from the start the researchers are restricted in terms of participants – there just aren’t enough studies in children to give a conclusive answer on the subject,” added Shao.
Shao also pointed out the “many other health benefits associated with vitamin D”, and stated that the findings of any study on vitamin D “should not overlook the fact that a lot of people – including children – have inadequate vitamin D status, or are fully deficient.”
Dr Winzenberg confirmed that the evidence is “pretty strong […]to suggest that research with deficient children is a promising area,” but added that “there is no suggestion that supplementing the entire population would be a good idea.”
Source: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
Issue 10, Article Number: CD006944, doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006944.pub2.
“Vitamin D supplementation for improving bone mineral density in children”
Authors: T.M. Winzenberg, S. Powell, K.A. Shaw, G. Jones
Staying Healthy in Cold Weather
Going outside in cold weather with wet hair, or without a coat, won’t increase your risk of catching cold or any other infection. The risk of getting a cold has nothing to do with actually being cold. In a number of studies of cold transmission, people who were chilled were no more likely to get sick than those who were not. So why do we get more colds in the winter? Cold weather means we spend much longer periods of time indoors, around others, where viruses are more likely to catch up with us.
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How to Reduce the Frequency of Colds
PHYSICAL FITNESS CUTS FREQUENCIES OF COLDS, URTIs
A study has found that those who get aerobic exercise more often have a reduced frequency of upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs), such as colds. The effect also was seen in those who perceive themselve
s as physically fit; the severity of cold symptoms was 41 percent less for those who believed they were fit and 31 percent reduced for those who were, in fact, the most active.
The total number of days with cold symptoms was about half for those who reported getting aerobic activity five days a week or more, compared to those with the most sedentary lifestyles.
Researchers speculate that the effect works this way: bouts of aerobic exercise boost immune system cells but they fall back a few hours later; but each exercise round may increase surveillance by the immune system, of harmful viruses and bacteria.
Regardless of exercise, honorable mention for getting fewer URTIs went to those who were male, older and married. This study was released November 1, 2010 and will be published in a future issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine. It can be read online now at http://bit.ly/cJ4bSB.