Group items tagged

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A diet high in a form of sugar found in sweetened soft drinks and junk food raises blood pressure among men, according to research likely to mean more bad news for beverage companies and restaurant chains. One of two studies released on Wednesday provided the first evidence that fructose helps raise blood pressure. It also found that the drug allopurinol, used to treat gout, can alleviate the effect by reducing uric acid levels in the body. The second study, which measured fructose intake in mice, suggested that people who consume junk foods and sweetened soft drinks at night could gain weight faster than those who don't.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Younger white women with vitamin D deficiencies are about three times more likely to have high blood pressure in middle age than those with normal vitamin levels, according to a study released on Thursday. The study, presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association in Chicago, adds younger women to a growing list of people including men who may develop high blood pressure at least in part because of low vitamin D.

University of Illinois researcher Elizabeth Jeffery has learned how to maximize the cancer-fighting power of broccoli. It involves heating broccoli just enough to eliminate a sulfur-grabbing protein, but not enough to stop the plant from releasing an important cancer-fighting compound called sulforaphane. The discovery of this sulfur-grabbing protein in the Jeffery lab makes it possible to maximize the amount of the anticarcinogen sulforaphane in broccoli.

Nov. 13, 2007 -- Forgoing carbohydrates may slow the growth of prostate cancer, according to preliminary lab tests in mice. The researchers aren't making dietary recommendations for men. But they say the topic deserves further study. "This study showed that cutting carbohydrates may slow tumor growth, at least in mice," Duke University urologist Stephen Freedland, MD, says in a news release.

Antioxidant Supplementation in Atherosclerosis Prevention (ASAP) study: a randomized trial of the effect of vitamins E and C on 3-year progression of carotid atherosclerosis. Salonen JT, Nyyssönen K, Salonen R, Lakka HM, Kaikkonen J, Porkkala-Sarataho E, Voutilainen S, Lakka TA, Rissanen T, Leskinen L, Tuomainen TP, Valkonen VP, Ristonmaa U, Poulsen HE. J Intern Med. 2000 Nov;248(5):377-86. PMID: 11123502 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2796.2000.00752.x Conclusions. Our study shows that a combined supplementation with reasonable doses of both vitamin E and slow-release vitamin C can retard the progression of common carotid atherosclerosis in men. This may imply benefits with regard to other atherosclerosis-based events.

Six-year effect of combined vitamin C and E supplementation on atherosclerotic progression: the Antioxidant Supplementation in Atherosclerosis Prevention (ASAP) Study. Salonen RM, Nyyssönen K, Kaikkonen J, Porkkala-Sarataho E, Voutilainen S, Rissanen TH, Tuomainen TP, Valkonen VP, Ristonmaa U, Lakka HM, Vanharanta M, Salonen JT, Poulsen HE; Antioxidant Supplementation in Atherosclerosis Prevention Study. Circulation. 2003 Feb 25;107(7):947-53. PMID: 12600905 doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.0000050626.25057.51 Conclusions- These data replicate our 3-year findings confirming that the supplementation with combination of vitamin E and slow-release vitamin C slows down atherosclerotic progression in hypercholesterolemic persons.

Conversion of phylloquinone (Vitamin K1) into menaquinone-4 (Vitamin K2) in mice: two possible routes for menaquinone-4 accumulation in cerebra of mice.\nOkano T, Shimomura Y, Yamane M, Suhara Y, Kamao M, Sugiura M, Nakagawa K.\nJ Biol Chem. 2008 Apr 25;283(17):11270-9. Epub 2007 Dec 14. \nPMID: 18083713 \ndoi: 10.1074/jbc.M702971200 \n\nOur results suggest that cerebral menaquinone-4 originates from phylloquinone intake and that there are two routes of accumulation, one is the release of menadione from phylloquinone in the intestine followed by the prenylation of menadione into menaquinone-4 in tissues, and another is cleavage and prenylation within the cerebrum.

Artemisinin (pronounced /ɑːtə'misinən/) is a drug used to treat multi-drug resistant strains of falciparum malaria. The compound (a sesquiterpene lactone) is isolated from the plant Artemisia annua. Not all plants of this species contain artemisinin. Apparently it is only produced when the plant is subjected to certain conditions, most likely biotic or abiotic stress. It can be synthesized from artemisinic acid.[1] The drug is derived from a herb used in Chinese traditional medicine, though it is usually chemically modified and combined with other medications. Artemisinin is under early research and testing for treatment of cancer, primarily by researchers at the University of Washington.[7][8] Artemisinin has a peroxide lactone group in its structure. It is thought that when the peroxide comes into contact with high iron concentrations (common in cancerous cells), the molecule becomes unstable and releases reactive oxygen species. It has been shown to reduce angiogenesis and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in some tissue cultures.

August of this year, the BBC reported that the British Advertising Standards Authority attacked a vegetarian organization for making "alarmist" and "unsubstantiated" claims about the risks of eating meat. Headlines like "Vegetarian group slammed over advertising" splashed across the evening news. What "exaggerated" claims were targeted by the Agency? The vegetarian group claimed that meat-eaters were at increased risk of dying from heart disease and stroke, and that vegetarians lived longer than meateaters. How could the agency possibly find fault with such incontrovertible facts? Because, simply put, our "facts" aren't true. The latest science and the best science that we have that we have suggests that we vegetarians do not live longer than our meat-eating counterparts. The latest published results came out January, 2002 in a journal called Public Health Nutrition. Eight thousand vegetarians were followed for 18 years, and no survival advantage was found. Then April, 2002 the results of a study twice that size were released at the International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition held at Loma Linda University. A study involving seventeen thousand vegetarians followed for about 9 years confirms the bad news-no survival advantage for vegetarians. Even more worrisome, both this huge studies found that vegetarians had an increased risk of dying from degenerative brain diseases

"The routine prescription of extended-release niacin, a B vitamin (1,500 milligrams daily), in combination with traditional cholesterol-lowering therapy offers no extra benefit in correcting arterial narrowing and diminishing plaque buildup in seniors who already have coronary artery disease, a new vascular imaging study from Johns Hopkins experts shows. In tests on 145 Baltimore-area men and women with existing atherosclerosis, all over age 65, researchers found that after 18 months of drug therapy, reductions in arterial wall thickness were measurably no different between the half who took dual niacin-statin therapy and the rest who remained on statin therapy alone. "

"Quality of HDL differs in diabetics but improves with niacin therapy December 22, 2009 | Michael O'Riordan Hannover, Germany - A small study published this week hints that the effects of HDL cholesterol differ in healthy patients from those with diabetes mellitus [1]. HDL cholesterol in individuals with diabetes has impaired endothelial protective functions compared with the HDL from healthy subjects, although treatment with extended-release niacin can improve these endothelial protective effects, according to researchers. Publishing their findings online December 21, 2009 in Circulation, lead investigator Dr Sajoscha Sorrentino (Hannover Medical School, Germany) and colleagues write that because recent HDL-raising intervention studies have yielded mixed results, "circulating HDL-cholesterol levels alone likely do not represent an adequate measure of therapeutic efficacy, and indexes of HDL functionality are urgently needed for assessment of the potential of HDL-targeted therapies to exert vasoprotective effects." Speaking with heartwire, senior investigator Dr Ulf Landmesser (University of Zürich, Switzerland), said the results have implications for clinical research. "We have to understand that we can't look only at the HDL levels in the plasma, but we need to look at the quality," he said. "The quality of the HDL is not the same in different patients. This is very important for targeting HDL as a treatment. Second, niacin therapy is a promising way not only to raise HDL but also to improve the quality; it is a good treatment option, especially if the larger outcomes data are positive.""

"Summer vs Winter Mode: Explaining AMPK Last year I read an article which made a statement that has not left my mind. The statement went as follows: "You are only good as your mitochondria." In fact, the more a dwell into the details of human metabolism, the more I sense that this is true - especially with the metabolic syndrome. For those who are not familiar with the concept of mitochondria, they are the tiny energy factories within the cells that produce cellular energy through aerobic means (meaning oxygen). Mitochondria utilize oxygen to ultimately produce Adenosine Triphosphate or simply ATP. ATP relays energy by donating a phosphate bond resulting in Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP). Another phosphate release would entail Adenosine Monophosphate or AMP. ATP is one of the main sources of cellular energy in the body."

"Summer vs Winter Mode: Explaining AMPK Last year I read an article which made a statement that has not left my mind. The statement went as follows: "You are only good as your mitochondria." In fact, the more a dwell into the details of human metabolism, the more I sense that this is true - especially with the metabolic syndrome. For those who are not familiar with the concept of mitochondria, they are the tiny energy factories within the cells that produce cellular energy through aerobic means (meaning oxygen). Mitochondria utilize oxygen to ultimately produce Adenosine Triphosphate or simply ATP. ATP relays energy by donating a phosphate bond resulting in Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP). Another phosphate release would entail Adenosine Monophosphate or AMP. ATP is one of the main sources of cellular energy in the body

[Vitamin K and Bone Update. In vivo Metabolism of Vitamin K. - In relation to the conversion of vitamin K(1) to MK-4 -] Okano T, Nakagawa K, Kamao M. Clin Calcium. 2009 Dec;19(12):1779-87. Japanese. PMID: 19949269 Phylloquinone is a major form (>90%) of dietary vitamin K, but the form of vitamin K that exists at the highest concentrations in tissues of animals and humans is menaquinone-4 (MK-4) . Despite this great difference, the origin of tissue MK-4 had not been clarified until recently. We demonstrated that deuterium-labeled phylloquinone was converted into deuterium-labeled MK-4 in mice and this conversion occurred following an oral or enteral administration, but not parenteral administration. By the oral route, the phylloquinone with the deuterium-labeled side chain (phytyl side-chain) was clearly converted into menaquinone-4 with a non-deuterium-labeled side chain (geranylgeranyl side-chain) , implying that phylloquinone was converted into menaquinone-4 via integral side-chain removal. Our results suggest that cerebral menaquinone-4 originates from phylloquinone intake and the release of menadione from phylloquinone in the intestine followed by the prenylation of menadione into menaquinone-4 in the intestine or tissues

"The US Food and Drug Administration has advised consumers that certain vitamin supplements "can be useful", stating that "there are many good reasons" to consider taking them. The consumer advisory, released this week in video and text format, comes at a time of increased pressure on the supplements industry, with media outlets repeatedly questioning the usefulness and safety of dietary supplements. "Supplements can be useful when they fulfill a specific identified nutrient need that can't be met by food or is not being met through normal food intake," said Barbara Schneeman, PhD, director of FDA's Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements. The message is one that dietary supplement trade groups have consistently tried to get across, with campaigns such as CRN's Life…supplemented set up to communicate the importan Vitamins for the right reasons According to FDA's consumer update - Fortify Your Knowledge About Vitamins - there are many good reasons to consider taking vitamin supplements, which could be recommended by a doctor in a number of situations, including: * For certain health problems * When following a vegetarian or vegan diet * When pregnant or breastfeeding Iron and folic acid are important for pregnant women or women of childbearing age, to be consumed via a varied diet or from fortified foods and supplements, says FDA. People over 50 should consume vitamin B12, and those with darker skin or with insufficient exposure to sunlight should consume extra vitamin D, again via fortified foods or supplements."

Americans, at least as a group, may have reached their peak of obesity, according to data the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Wednesday.

Fiber contributes to slow down both the release of food from the stomach and the absorption of carbohydrates that are part of the food ingested. This tends to prevent the spikes in blood glucose and insulin. The richest sources of dietary fiber are legumes (beans and peas), vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.

"(NaturalNews) People still don't get it: Vitamin D is the "miracle nutrient" that activates your immune system to defend you against invading microorganisms -- including seasonal flu and swine flu. Two months ago, an important study was published by researchers at Oregon State University. This study reveals something startling: Vitamin D is so crucial to the functioning of your immune system that the ability of vitamin D to boost immune function and destroy invading microorganisms has been conserved in the genome for over 60 million years of evolution. As this press release from Oregon State University (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_relea...) explains: The fact that this vitamin-D mediated immune response has been retained through millions of years of evolutionary selection, and is still found in species ranging from squirrel monkeys to baboons and humans, suggests that it must be critical to their survival, researchers say. "The existence and importance of this part of our immune response makes it clear that humans and other primates need to maintain sufficient levels of vitamin D," said Adrian Gombart, an associate professor of biochemistry and a principal investigator with the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University."

"Orlando, FL - Adding extended-release niacin (Niaspan, Abbott) to statin therapy results in a significant regression of atherosclerosis as measured by carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), whereas the addition of ezetimibe (Zetia, Merck/Schering-Plough) to statin therapy did not, according to an eagerly anticipated study "

"The results of the uniquely-constructed ERA JUMP Study were just released, a fascinating study of the relationship of omega-3 fatty acids to coronary and carotid plaque. The study adds insight into why the Japanese experience only one third of the heart attacks of Americans, and why Japan occupies the bottom of the list for least heart attacks among all developed countries. The Electron-Beam Tomography, Risk Factor Assessment Among Japanese and U.S. Men in the Post-World War II Birth Cohort Study (ERA JUMP), a collaborative U.S.-Japanese effort, compared three groups of men: -- 281 Japanese men living in Japan -- 306 non-Japanese men living in the U.S. (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) -- 303 Japanese Americans (having both parents Japanese without "ethnic admixture") living in Hawaii. The last group represents a group that is genetically similar to the group in Japan, but exposed to an American diet and lifestyle. Three main measures were compared: -- Blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA) -- Carotid intimal-medial thickness (CIMT, the thickness of the carotid artery lining that can serve as an index of body-wide atherosclerosis) -- Coronary calcium (heart scan) scores."