How Betulin May Help You
BIRCH BARK INGREDIENT HAS STRONG METABOLIC BENEFITS
According to a new study, a component in the bark of birch trees may lower cholesterol, suppress diet-induced obesity, improve insulin sensitivity and slow the development of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Although the research was conducted on mice, the benefits would be substantial if further work finds the effects hold for humans. For example, betulin decreased cholesterol in the liver, blood and fat to a greater extent than lovastatin, a widely prescribed drug class for treating high cholesterol.
The birch ingredient also made the mice more sensitive to insulin, which may help prevent diabetes, and caused them to burn more calories and lose weight. It also reduced plaque build-up in the arteries. Betulin alters the expression of genes involved in the biosynthesis of cholesterol, triglycerides and fatty acids.
Although not sold as a supplement, betulin appears to have low toxicity and is a readily available compound already in use as a precursor in the manufacture of some drugs. This study was published in the January 5, 2011 issue of the journal, Cell Metabolism. The full study is available online now at http://bit.ly/hYelkF without charge.
New Research Suggests Regular Calcium Supplement Could Increase Risk of Heart Attack
New research suggests that regularly taking calcium supplements might increase the risk of heart attack.
The study, published in the British Medical Journal, indicates that calcium supplements cause more cardiovascular events (such as heart attacks and stroke) than the number of fractures they prevent.
Calcium supplements are commonly taken by older people as a measure to reduce the effects of osteoporosis. The widely used supplements have been shown to marginally reduce the risk of fracture for osteoporosis sufferers and improve bone density, but very little research has been compiled on the risks of calcium supplementation.
The new study, led by Professor Ian Reid at the University of Auckland, is a meta-analysis of fifteen randomized trials on calcium supplements conducted in the last twenty years, with the aim to investigate the links between calcium supplementation and cardiovascular events.
From analyzing the data on the 12,000 people involved in the 15 trials, the researchers found that calcium supplements increase the risk of heart attack by about 30 percent. Although this increase in heart attack risk is modest, the researchers suggest that the widespread use of calcium supplements means “even a small increase in incidence of cardiovascular disease could translate into a large burden of disease in the population.” The researchers wrote: “The likely adverse effect of calcium supplements on cardiovascular events, taken together with the possible adverse effect on incidence of hip fracture and its modest overall efficacy in reducing fracture (about 10% reduction in total fractures) suggest that a reassessment of the role of calcium supplements in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis is warranted.”
The results observed in this study only saw an increased risk in people using supplementation, and do not affect people with high dietary intakes of calcium. Professor Reid explained that this could be related to higher blood calcium levels from supplementation compared to dietary calcium – higher blood calcium levels are believed to lead to hardening of the arteries, which can cause heart attacks.
Read more here at the national library of medicine: Pub Med: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20671013
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The Magic 7 – Sleep & Cardiovascular Risk
A recent study shows that even among healthy people who regularly get five hours or less sleep a night have more than double the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Also, people who regularly get nine or more hours of sleep a night have a greater than fifty percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Perhaps more surprising, people who get six or eight hours sleep also have a higher – but far less dramatic – increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
The study advised that seven hours sleep per night, not six or eight or anything more extreme, was the ideal regular sleep period for cardiovascular health.
But how could sleep period affect heart health?
The researchers suggested that shorter sleep times can cause “impaired glucose tolerance, reduced insulin sensitivity, increased sympathetic [nerve] activity and elevated blood pressure,” all of which increase the risk of hardening of the arteries.
Longer sleep duration may be related to an underlying sleep-related breathing disorder or poor sleep quality.
This study was published in the August 1, 2010 issue of the journal, Sleep. It is available online with a subscription to the journal or a membership the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
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