Group items tagged

Vitamin D association with estradiol and progesterone in young women. Knight JA, Wong J, Blackmore KM, Raboud JM, Vieth R. Cancer Causes Control. 2009 Nov 15. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 19916051 Conclusions Higher levels of vitamin D may reduce progesterone and estradiol, providing a potential mechanism for reduction in breast cancer risk from increased vitamin D exposure in young women

Alpha-linolenic acid and risk of nonfatal acute myocardial infarction. Campos H, Baylin A, Willett WC. Circulation. 2008 Jul 22;118(4):339-45. Epub 2008 Jul 7. Erratum in: Circulation. 2008 Sep 16;118(12):e492. PMID: 18606916 doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.107.762419 Conclusions - Consumption of vegetable oils rich in {alpha}-linolenic acid could confer important cardiovascular protection. The apparent protective effect of {alpha}-linolenic acid is most evident among subjects with low intakes.

Relationship of dietary linoleic acid to blood pressure. The International Study of Macro-Micronutrients and Blood Pressure Study [corrected] Miura K, Stamler J, Nakagawa H, Elliott P, Ueshima H, Chan Q, Brown IJ, Tzoulaki I, Saitoh S, Dyer AR, Daviglus ML, Kesteloot H, Okayama A, Curb JD, Rodriguez BL, Elmer PJ, Steffen LM, Robertson C, Zhao L; International Study of Macro-Micronutrients and Blood Pressure Research Group. Hypertension. 2008 Aug;52(2):408-14. Epub 2008 Jul 7. Erratum in: Hypertension. 2008 Sep;52(3):e29. PMID: 18606902 doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.108.112383 Dietary linoleic acid intake may contribute to prevention and control of adverse blood pressure levels in general populations

Cardiovascular risk and alpha-linolenic acid: can Costa Rica clarify? Harris WS. Circulation. 2008 Jul 22;118(4):323-4. Epub 2008 Jul 7. Review. PMID: 18606912 doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.108.791467

Fatty acid intake and the risk of community-acquired pneumonia in U.S. women. Alperovich M, Neuman MI, Willett WC, Curhan GC. Nutrition. 2007 Mar;23(3):196-202. Epub 2007 Jan 22. PMID: 17236748 doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2006.11.007. Conclusions Fatty acid intake may affect the risk of community-acquired pneumonia in young and middle-aged women. Higher dietary intake of palmitic acid and possibly DHA and EPA may increase the risk of community-acquired pneumonia in women while higher oleic acid intake may decrease the risk.

Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids is not associated with a reduction in carotid atherosclerosis: the Genetics of Coronary Artery Disease in Alaska Natives study. Ebbesson SO, Roman MJ, Devereux RB, Kaufman D, Fabsitz RR, Maccluer JW, Dyke B, Laston S, Wenger CR, Comuzzie AG, Romenesko T, Ebbesson LO, Nobmann ED, Howard BV. Atherosclerosis. 2008 Aug;199(2):346-53. Epub 2007 Dec 4. PMID: 18054937 doi:10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2007.10.020 Conclusions Dietary intake of omega-3 FAs in a moderate-to-high range does not appear to be associated with reduced plaque, but is negatively associated with IMT. The presence and extent of carotid atherosclerosis among Eskimos is higher with increasing consumption of saturated FAs.

Vitamin D deficiency and risk of cardiovascular disease. Wang TJ, Pencina MJ, Booth SL, Jacques PF, Ingelsson E, Lanier K, Benjamin EJ, D'Agostino RB, Wolf M, Vasan RS. Circulation. 2008 Jan 29;117(4):503-11. Epub 2008 Jan 7. PMID: 18180395 doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.107.706127 Conclusions-Vitamin D deficiency is associated with incident cardiovascular disease. Further clinical and experimental studies may be warranted to determine whether correction of vitamin D deficiency could contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

"DALLAS, Jan. 8 - The same vitamin D deficiency that can result in weak bones now has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, Framingham Heart Study researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. "Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, above and beyond established cardiovascular risk factors," said Thomas J. Wang, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass. "The higher risk associated with vitamin D deficiency was particularly evident among individuals with high blood pressure." In a study of 1,739 offspring from Framingham Heart Study participants (average age 59, all Caucasian), researchers found that those with blood levels of vitamin D below15 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) had twice the risk of a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack, heart failure or stroke in the next five years compared to those with higher levels of vitamin D."

The polyp prevention trial continued follow-up study: no effect of a low-fat, high-fiber, high-fruit, and -vegetable diet on adenoma recurrence eight years after randomization. Lanza E, Yu B, Murphy G, Albert PS, Caan B, Marshall JR, Lance P, Paskett ED, Weissfeld J, Slattery M, Burt R, Iber F, Shike M, Kikendall JW, Brewer BK, Schatzkin A; Polyp Prevention Trial Study Group. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2007 Sep;16(9):1745-52. PubMed PMID: 17855692 doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-07-0127 his study failed to show any effect of a low-fat, high-fiber, high-fruit and -vegetable eating pattern on adenoma recurrence even with 8 years of follow-up.

Marine-derived n-3 fatty acids and atherosclerosis in Japanese, Japanese-American, and white men: a cross-sectional study. Sekikawa A, Curb JD, Ueshima H, El-Saed A, Kadowaki T, Abbott RD, Evans RW, Rodriguez BL, Okamura T, Sutton-Tyrrell K, Nakamura Y, Masaki K, Edmundowicz D, Kashiwagi A, Willcox BJ, Takamiya T, Mitsunami K, Seto TB, Murata K, White RL, Kuller LH; ERA JUMP (Electron-Beam Tomography, Risk Factor Assessment Among Japanese and U.S. Men in the Post-World War II Birth Cohort) Study Group. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2008 Aug 5;52(6):417-24. PMID: 18672160 Conclusions Very high levels of marine-derived n-3 FAs have anti-atherogenic properties independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors and may contribute to lower burden of atherosclerosis in Japanese in Japan, which is unlikely due to genetic factors.

July 29, 2008 - The low rate of atherosclerosis and heart disease in Japanese people may be related to their very high levels of marine-derived omega-3 fatty acids rather than genetic factors, a new study suggests [1]. The study, known as Electron-Beam Tomography, Risk Factor Assessment Among Japanese and US Men in the Post-World War II Birth Cohort (ERA JUMP) included 868 randomly selected men aged 40 to 49. Of these, 281 were Japanese men living in Japan; 306 were white men living in the US, and 281 were third- or fourth-generation Japanese American men from Hawaii. All study participants had a physical examination, completed a lifestyle questionnaire, and had blood tests to measure cholesterol levels and levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Atherosclerosis was assessed by measuring carotid intima-medial thickness (IMT) and coronary artery calcification (CAC). Results showed that the Japanese men had the lowest levels of atherosclerosis, whereas whites and Japanese Americans had similar higher levels. The Japanese men also had twofold higher levels of marine-derived omega-3 fatty acids than white and Japanese Americans. The study, published in the August 5, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (available online July 28), was conducted by a group led by Dr Akira Sekikawa (University of Pittsburgh, PA, and Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan). They found that compared with white or Japanese American men living in the US, Japanese men living in Japan had twice the blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids - a finding that was independently linked to low levels of atherosclerosis.

Intima-media thickness of the carotid artery and the distribution of lipoprotein subclasses in men aged 40 to 49 years between whites in the United States and the Japanese in Japan for the ERA JUMP study. Sekikawa A, Ueshima H, Sutton-Tyrrell K, Kadowaki T, El-Saed A, Okamura T, Takamiya T, Ueno Y, Evans RW, Nakamura Y, Edmundowicz D, Kashiwagi A, Maegawa H, Kuller LH. Metabolism. 2008 Feb;57(2):177-82. PMID: 18191046 doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2007.08.022. In men in the post World War II birth cohort, i.e., men aged 40-49, whites in the United States (U.S.) had significantly higher levels of intima-media thickness of the carotid arteries (IMT) than the Japanese in Japan. The whites had significantly higher levels of large very-low-density-lipoprotein particles and significantly lower levels of large high-density-lipoprotein particles than the Japanese, whereas the two populations had similar levels of small low-density-lipoprotein particles. The two populations had similar associations of IMT with NMR lipoproteins. Adjusting for NMR lipoproteins did not attenuate the significant difference in IMT between the two populations (0.671 ± 0.006 for the whites and 0.618 ± 0.006 mm for the Japanese, P=0.01, mean (standard error)). Differences in the distributions of NMR lipoproteins between the two populations did not explain the higher IMT in the whites.

Pittsburgh, PA and Shiga, Japan - The low rate of atherosclerosis and heart disease in Japanese people may be related to their very high levels of marine-derived omega-3 fatty acids rather than genetic factors, a new study suggests [1]. The study, published in the August 5, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (available online July 28), was conducted by a group led by Dr Akira Sekikawa (University of Pittsburgh, PA, and Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan). They found that compared with white or Japanese American men living in the US, Japanese men living in Japan had twice the blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids-a finding that was independently linked to low levels of atherosclerosis. "The death rate from coronary heart disease in Japan has always been puzzlingly low. Our study suggests that the very low rates of coronary heart disease among Japanese living in Japan may be due to their lifelong high consumption of fish," Sekikawa said." Results showed that the Japanese men had the lowest levels of atherosclerosis, whereas whites and Japanese Americans had similar higher levels. The Japanese men also had twofold higher levels of marine-derived omega-3 fatty acids than white and Japanese Americans. In addition, the significant differences between Japanese and American men in multivariable-adjusted IMT and CAC prevalence became nonsignificant after adjustment further for marine-derived omega-3 fatty acids.

Prevalence and correlates of subclinical atherosclerosis in Alaska Eskimos: the GOCADAN study. Cutchins A, Roman MJ, Devereux RB, Ebbesson SO, Umans JG, Zhu J, Weissman NJ, Howard BV. Stroke. 2008 Nov;39(11):3079-82. Epub 2008 Jul 10. PMID: 18617652 doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.108.519199 Conclusions- Alaska Eskimos have similar traditional risk factors for carotid atherosclerosis as other ethnic and racial populations but have higher prevalences of atherosclerosis, possibly attributable to higher rates of smoking.

Urgent action needed to improve vitamin D status among older people in England! Hirani V, Tull K, Ali A, Mindell J. Age Ageing. 2009 Nov 23. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 19934073 CONCLUSIONS: poor vitamin D status of older people continues to be a public health problem in England. Hypovitaminosis D is associated with many risk factors and poor health outcomes. There is now an urgent need for a uniform policy on assessment and dietary supplementation of vitamin D in older people to prevent poor vitamin D status and its negative consequences

Plant-animal subsistence ratios and macronutrient energy estimations in worldwide hunter-gatherer diets. Cordain L, Miller JB, Eaton SB, Mann N, Holt SH, Speth JD. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Mar;71(3):682-92. PMID: 10702160 Our analysis showed that whenever and wherever it was ecologically possible, hunter-gatherers consumed high amounts (45-65% of energy) of animal food. Most (73%) of the worldwide hunter-gatherer societies derived >50% (> or =56-65% of energy) of their subsistence from animal foods, whereas only 14% of these societies derived >50% (> or =56-65% of energy) of their subsistence from gathered plant foods. This high reliance on animal-based foods coupled with the relatively low carbohydrate content of wild plant foods produces universally characteristic macronutrient consumption ratios in which protein is elevated (19-35% of energy) at the expense of carbohydrates (22-40% of energy).

Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels Among US Children Aged 1 to 11 Years: Do Children Need More Vitamin D? Mansbach JM, Ginde AA, Camargo CA Jr. Pediatrics. 2009 Nov;124(5):1404-1410. PMID: 19951983 CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of a nationally representative sample of US children aged 1 to 11 years, millions of children may have suboptimal levels of 25(OH)D, especially non-Hispanic black and Hispanic children. More data in children are needed not only to understand better the health implications of specific serum levels of 25(OH)D but also to determine the appropriate vitamin D supplement requirements for children.

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D status of the US population: 1988-1994 compared with 2000-2004. Looker AC, Pfeiffer CM, Lacher DA, Schleicher RL, Picciano MF, Yetley EA. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Dec;88(6):1519-27. PMID: 19064511 doi:10.3945/ajcn.2008.26182 Conclusions: Overall, mean serum 25(OH)D was lower in 2000-2004 than 1988-1994. Assay changes unrelated to changes in vitamin D status accounted for much of the difference in most population groups. In an adult subgroup, combined changes in BMI, milk intake, and sun protection appeared to contribute to a real decline in vitamin D status. In summary, age-standardized mean serum 25(OH)D concentrations based on observed values were significantly lower in 2000-2004 than in 1988-1994 in all groups examined. Adjustment for assay changes noticeably reduced the difference between surveys. However, mean serum 25(OH)D concentrations remained significantly lower in males (except Mexican Americans) in NHANES 2000-2004 than in NHANES III, even after adjustment for assay differences. This remaining difference likely represents a real decline in vitamin D status. Changes in BMI, milk intake, and sun protection appeared to contribute to this decline in a subgroup of non-Hispanic white adults. The possibility that trends in overweight, sun protection, and milk intake may continue supports the need to continue monitoring the serum 25(OH)D status of the population

Vitamin D and mortality in older men and women. Pilz S, Dobnig H, Nijpels G, Heine RJ, Stehouwer CD, Snijder MB, van Dam RM, Dekker JM. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2009 Nov;71(5):666-72. Epub 2009 Feb 18. PMID: 19226272 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.2009.03548.x Conclusions Low 25(OH)D levels are associated with all-cause mortality and even more pronounced with cardiovascular mortality, but it remains unclear whether vitamin D deficiency is a cause or a consequence of a poor health status. Therefore, intervention studies are warranted to evaluate whether vitamin D supplementation reduces mortality and cardiovascular diseases.

Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations are associated with greater all-cause mortality in older community-dwelling women. Semba RD, Houston DK, Ferrucci L, Cappola AR, Sun K, Guralnik JM, Fried LP. Nutr Res. 2009 Aug;29(8):525-30. PMID: 19761886 doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2009.07.007 Older community-dwelling women with low 25(OH)D levels are at an increased risk of death.