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Taking a combination of vitamins B6 and B12 and folic acid appears to decrease the risk of age-related macular degeneration in women, according to a report in the February 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of vision loss in older Americans, according to background information in the article. Treatment options exist for those with severe cases of the disease, but the only known prevention method is to avoid smoking. Recent studies have drawn a connection between AMD and blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid. High levels of homocysteine are associated with dysfunction of the blood vessel lining, whereas treatment with vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folic acid appears to reduce homocysteine levels and may reverse this blood vessel dysfunction.

Supplements of vitamin D at 'critical time periods' may be key to reducing the risk of multiple sclerosis, according to a new study from the UK and Canada. Researchers report that vitamin D may interact with a specific genetic component called HLA-DRB1*1501 that is known to increase the risk of multiple sclerosis by three-fold

Erkkila AT, Matthan NR, Herrington DM, Lichtenstein AH. Higher plasma docosahexaenoic acid is associated with reduced progression of coronary atherosclerosis in women with CAD. J Lipid Res. 2006 Dec;47(12):2814-9. Epub 2006 Sep 18. PMID: 16983146 [Pub

Scientists in Japan recently studied some of the glyconutrients from spinach and found they inhibited destruction of DNA, cancer cell growth, and tumor growth. They used the nutrients to suppress the growth of colon adenocarcinoma in mice. After a two week period of ingesting the nutrients, a 56.1% decrease in solid tumor volume occurred without any side effects. And the nutrients reduced the ability of tumors to supply themselves with blood which they need to fuel their growth. Markers of cell proliferation were drastically reduced. (Lipids, August, 2008)

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration and subsequent risk of type 2 diabetes. Mattila C, Knekt P, Männistö S, Rissanen H, Laaksonen MA, Montonen J, Reunanen A. Diabetes Care. 2007 Oct;30(10):2569-70. Epub 2007 Jul 12. PMID: 17626891 doi: 10.2337/dc07-0292 We found a significant inverse association between serum 25OHD and risk of type 2 diabetes in the simple model. However, the association was attenuated in the multivariate analysis, adjusting for potential risk factors of type 2 diabetes. To our knowledge, this is the first cohort study investigating the association between serum 25OHD and incidence of type 2 diabetes. Our results are in line with those from the Nurses' Health Study (5), where an inverse association was observed for the intake of vitamin D supplements. We could not differentiate whether the results depended on the effect of vitamin D deficiency on β-cell function or on insulin resistance. In summary, the results are in line with the hypothesis that a high serum 25OHD concentration may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Further research is needed to confirm the association and to distinguish between the independent role of vitamin D and the role of healthy dietary and lifestyle patterns in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.

The European Food Safety Authority's Panel on contaminants in the food chain has set a reduced tolerable weekly intake (TWI)[1] for cadmium of 2.5 micrograms per kilogram of body weight (µg/kg bw), based on an analysis of new data. The TWI is the level at which adverse effects are not expected. Average dietary exposure to cadmium for adults across Europe is around this level. Some population groups - vegetarians, children, smokers and people living in highly contaminated areas - can have a higher level of exposure up to twice the TWI. However, the Panel concluded that even for these groups the risk of adverse effects would be very low. The Panel concluded that current exposure to cadmium at the level of the population should be reduced.

While sterols occur naturally in small quantities in food (nuts, vegetables, oils), food manufacturers are adding them to processed foods in order to earn a "heart healthy" claim. The FDA approved a cholesterol-reducing indication for sterols , the American Heart Association recommends 200 mg per day as part of its Therapeutic Lifestyle Change diet, and WebMD gushes about the LDL-reducing benefits of sterols added to foods. Sterols--the same substance that, when absorbed to high levels into the blood in a genetic disorder called "sitosterolemia"--causes extravagant atherosclerosis in young people. The case against sterols, studies documenting its coronary disease- and valve disease-promoting effects, is building

Broe KE, Chen TC, Weinberg J, Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Holick MF, Kiel DP. \nA higher dose of vitamin d reduces the risk of falls in nursing home residents: a randomized, multiple-dose study.\nJ Am Geriatr Soc. 2007 Feb;55(2):234-9.\nPMID: 17302660 [PubMed -

Knight JA, Lesosky M, Barnett H, Raboud JM, Vieth R. Vitamin D and reduced risk of breast cancer: a population-based case-control study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2007 Mar;16(3):422-9. PMID: 17372236 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Vitamin D supplementation during the first year of life and risk of schizophrenia: a Finnish birth cohort study. McGrath J, Saari K, Hakko H, Jokelainen J, Jones P, Järvelin MR, Chant D, Isohanni M. Schizophr Res. 2004 Apr 1;67(2-3):237-45. PMID: 14984883 Conclusion: Vitamin D supplementation during the first year of life is associated with a reduced risk of schizophrenia in males. Preventing hypovitaminosis D during early life may reduce the incidence of schizophrenia.

"The common culprit is soy, a plant that contains chemicals with estrogen-like and anti-estrogenic properties - making it a nutritional minefield for breast cancer survivors. While Western diets are relatively low in soy - compared with the typical diet in Asia, where people eat soy daily - the percentage of Americans consuming soy at least once a week has increased from 15% in 1997 to 28% in 2003. In the meantime, studies on the effect of soy on breast cancer recurrence and mortality have been conflicting, with some showing that it can reduce risk, while others show an elevated rate of recurrent disease among high soy consumers. Now the largest study to date of soy's effect on breast cancer suggests that eating soy, even in large amounts, may not be harmful after all, and may even reduce recurrence and death from the disease. But while the findings are intriguing, not all doctors are ready to tout the benefits of tofu

Overview and perspective in human nutrition. Willett WC. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008;17 Suppl 1:1-4. Review. PMID: 18296289 For the last decade, the focus of nutritional advice for prevention of chronic disease has been to limit or reduce total fat intake and to consume large amounts of carbohydrate. However, this advice is inconsistent with many lines of evidence indicating that unsaturated fats have beneficial metabolic effects and reduce risk of coronary heart disease. More recent evidence has also shown that the large majority of carbohydrates in Western diets, consisting of refined starches and sugars, have adverse metabolic effects and increase risks of coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately, a major opportunity for health improvement has been lost by failing to distinguish healthy from unhealthy forms of carbohydrates and fats. Recent analyses indicate that moderate changes in diet, together with regular physical activity and not smoking, can prevent the large majority of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer. These findings have substantial relevance for many populations in Asia, where incidence of type 2 diabetes is rising rapidly.

"NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An herb used since ancient times to treat liver ailments may help reduce the liver damage caused by some cancer drugs, a study published Monday suggests. In a study of 50 children undergoing chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), researchers found that an herb called milk thistle appeared to reduce treatment-related liver inflammation. The study, published online in the journal Cancer, is the first clinical trial to test the herb in children undergoing chemotherapy, and the investigators caution that more research is still needed. However, the findings are "promising" -- particularly since there is currently no way to help protect the liver from chemotherapy-induced damage, said senior researcher Dr. Kara M. Kelly, a pediatric oncologist at Columbia University Medical Center in New York."

Do you want to know the secret of longevity? Many researchers said, become a vegetarian and reduce the consumption of protein from fish or meat. Long ago, researchers believe that reducing calories by 60 percent could extend humans life. But now researchers refute, the truth is reduce protein consumption and be a vegetarian.

General Mills announced today a public commitment to reduce sugar in cereals advertised to children to single-digit grams of sugar per serving.

Berberine is a novel cholesterol-lowering drug working through a unique mechanism distinct from statins. Kong W, Wei J, Abidi P, Lin M, Inaba S, Li C, Wang Y, Wang Z, Si S, Pan H, Wang S, Wu J, Wang Y, Li Z, Liu J, Jiang JD. Nat Med. 2004 Dec;10(12):1344-51. Epub 2004 Nov 7. PMID: 15531889 doi:10.1038/nm1135 We identify berberine (BBR), a compound isolated from a Chinese herb, as a new cholesterol-lowering drug. Oral administration of BBR in 32 hypercholesterolemic patients for 3 months reduced serum cholesterol by 29%, triglycerides by 35% and LDL-cholesterol by 25%. Treatment of hyperlipidemic hamsters with BBR reduced serum cholesterol by 40% and LDL-cholesterol by 42%, with a 3.5-fold increase in hepatic LDLR mRNA and a 2.6-fold increase in hepatic LDLR protein. Using human hepatoma cells, we show that BBR upregulates LDLR expression independent of sterol regulatory element binding proteins, but dependent on ERK activation. BBR elevates LDLR expression through a post-transcriptional mechanism that stabilizes the mRNA. Using a heterologous system with luciferase as a reporter, we further identify the 5' proximal section of the LDLR mRNA 3' untranslated region responsible for the regulatory effect of BBR. These findings show BBR as a new hypolipidemic drug with a mechanism of action different from that of statin drugs.

"Friday, December 18, 2009 Omega 3 Fatty Acid and Adiponectin Levels Today my wife was watching the Oprah show. A commercial came on and I looked up. It was a Christmas special on liposuction in the local area. Considering that the fat tissue (adipose tissue) is now viewed as an endocrine organ and not just a collection of fat cells, I have always thought that sucking out the fat cells maybe a bad idea. Yet, I have never seen proof of this. But, the science of the adipose tissue as an endocrine organ is relatively new. It seems that in the medical literature adiponectin is receiving the most attention from all of the other adipose hormones - or also referred to as adipokines. This is for good reason. As stated before, adiponectin has the following effects: * reduces liver glucose production * increases glucose uptake in the muscles and adipose tissues * causes oxidation of fats which leads to less lipid production * has anti-inflammatory properties * protects the heart against ischemia and reduces myocardial infarct size * acts as an anti-clotting factor * increases nitric oxide production in the vasculature leading to a greater dilation of the vessels"

"Consuming tempeh can reduce the risk of developing dementia in the elderly, but eating tofu can increase it, said a joint study between universities here and in Britain on Wednesday. The study between University of Indonesia (UI), Indonesia Respati University, University of Loughborough and University of Oxford said people over 68 years of age who consumed tofu more than twice a day had a worse memory than those who rarely ate it. But if they also ate tempeh, the risk of dementia was reduced. "Tempeh consumption very likely offsets tofu's negative associations with memory," Professor Eef Hogervorst of the University of Loughborough said in a seminar on aging and health at UI campus in Depok, where she presented the result of the study. The study involved 712 respondents from Jakarta, Citengah in West Java and Yogyakarta, with ages ranging from 52 to 99 years. "

Hoodia is a cactus like plant that grows in southern Africa and has a function which I think is very interesting, that is able to reduce appetite.

Fall prevention with supplemental and active forms of vitamin D: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Dawson-Hughes B, Staehelin HB, Orav JE, Stuck AE, Theiler R, Wong JB, Egli A, Kiel DP, Henschkowski J. BMJ. 2009 Oct 1;339:b3692. doi: 10.1136/bmj.b3692. PMID: 19797342 doi: 10.1136/bmj.b3692 Conclusions Supplemental vitamin D in a dose of 700-1000 IU a day reduced the risk of falling among older individuals by 19% and to a similar degree as active forms of vitamin D. Doses of supplemental vitamin D of less than 700 IU or serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations of less than 60 nmol/l may not reduce the risk of falling among older individuals.