Bonnie's Blog With Bonnie & Steve Minsky

Vitamin D level has major role in CVD prevention

2009-11-27T10:03:00.003-06:00

Inadequate levels of vitamin D are associated with an increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease and death, as reported at the American Heart Association 2009 Scientific Sessions. Results from 27 000 people 50 years or older with no history of cardiovascular disease for just over a year, found that those with very low levels of vitamin D (<15>30 ng/mL). Those deficient in vitamin D were also twice as likely to develop heart failure as those with normal levels.

"We concluded that even a moderate deficiency of vitamin D was associated with developing coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke, and death," said coauthor Dr Heidi May (Intermountain Medical Center).

Deficiency in vitamin D is generally agreed to be a blood level of <20>150 ng/mL indicating excessive vitamin D. Data suggest that many people are likely getting inadequate vitamin D, he said, with studies showing that black Americans have blood levels ranging from 6-18 ng/mL and that white Americans have levels ranging from 16-25 ng/mL. In general, a supplement of 100 IU of vitamin D per day will increase blood levels of vitamin D by 1 ng/mL, Rimm said. Those taking 1000 IU per day should have blood levels in the range of 25-32 ng/mL and those taking 4000 IU should have levels of 40-50 ng/mL.

During the right times of year, five to 10 minutes a day of sunlight is sufficient is to make enough vitamin D. I do hear the concerns about skin cancer and I think people should wear suntan lotion, but it's probably better to put it on 10 minutes after you've been in the sun." Researchers cautioned that "in northern climes, even if you go out in the sun in January, you're not going to make much vitamin D, so there you would need supplementation to get adequate levels." One of the best dietary sources of vitamin D is fish. People should remember that diet is an important source of vitamin D, too, he noted. "One of the best dietary sources of vitamin D is fish. We already suggest people eat a couple of servings a week, but having three or four servings a week of fish can get you a fair bit of vitamin D, and would represent an additional 300 to 500 IU of vitamin D. This still might not be sufficient so you might need a little bit of sunlight or to take a vitamin D supplement. It's really a combination of things, that's probably the best approach."

Both Rimm and Dobnig said it is nearly impossible for anyone to suffer adverse effects from too much vitamin D. Those who spend whole days in the sun, such as lifeguards, have vitamin D levels ranging from 45 to 65 ng/mL, said Rimm. "Vitamin D is safe. Hypercalcemia is not a problem, with the rare exception of granulomatous disease," said Dobnig. He added that because vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, it can be given weekly, or even monthly.

Recipe du Jour December

2009-11-25T16:15:00.002-06:00

Everyone's getting on the immune-boosting bandwagon. Shockingly, Kellogg's labeled their Cocoa Krispies as a great way to build immunity, despite the second ingredient being sugar and containing partially hyrdrogenated oil (trans fat). Under FDA pressure, Kellogg's has since removed this erroneous claim.

Like we did with our Immune-Boosting Broth in November, Salmon Stimpanata is another immune-boosting recipe sure to excite. It has been a staple of a local restaurant in Highwood, IL called Washington Gardens. Here's why it is a great immune-boosting dish:

Salmon - loaded with vitamin D, omega-3 fats, protein, an zinc
Orange Juice/Lemon - vitamin C
Red Onion - quercetin and other flavanoids

Not only does the presentation look beautiful, but it is incredibly delicious. Even fish haters will love it because there is no fishy taste. For those of you wanting to make it at home:

Salmon Stimpanata

-2 lb. salmon filets, cut into 4 pieces
-1 c. fresh orange juice
-juice of one lemon
-1 medium to large red onion, thinly sliced

Marinate salmon filets in the next three ingredients for ½ hour or more. In a pan (so that the salmon is completely covered with liquid- add a little water if needed), bring the liquid to a boil. The, cover immediately and turn off the heat (leaving the pan on top of the burner). When the salmon is no longer translucent, it is ready to serve! Serve with lemon wedges and orange and kiwi slices. SERVES: 4

SIDE DISHES: serve with steamed broccoli and wild rice pilaf.

Psychotropic drugs boost fall risk in the elderly

2009-11-25T09:31:00.002-06:00

Studies including nearly 80,000 people aged 60 and older confirms that certain types of widely prescribed drugs. Falls often have serious consequences for older people, such as injuries leading to disability and admission to a nursing home, or even death.

The Archives of Internal Medicine study analyzed the risk of falling associated with nine classes of drugs. Three classes turned out to significantly boost fall risk: sedatives and hypnotics, typically prescribed as sleeping aids; antidepressants; and benzodiazepines, which include tranquilizers like Xanax and Valium. The researchers also saw an increased risk in patients taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs -- like aspirin-- and drugs for treating psychosis, but they note that people may be taking these drugs to treat conditions that would in and of themselves increase their risk of falling. Prescription drug use among the elderly is on the rise. One recent Canadian study found 1 in 7 people over 80 had filled a prescription for an antidepressant. Older people who are taking any of the drugs associated with falls should talk about the medication with their physician and their pharmacist.

Preeclampsia linked to hypothyroidism

2009-11-25T09:25:00.002-06:00

Women in whom preeclampsia develops during pregnancy are more likely than other women to have hypothyroidism in late pregnancy or subsequently, according to British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Bonnie - what can help prevent this: adequate lean protein consumption, magnesium, and iodine

Exploring a low-acid diet for bone health

2009-11-25T09:19:00.002-06:00

Bonnie - Jane Brody, long-time health columnist for the New York Times, goes out on a limb with this piece (can you hear the tongue-in-cheek?).

While it is nice to see Jane get with the times by suggesting that dairy/milk is not all that it is cracked up to be for bone health, she still talks up whole wheat, which is one of the most acidic foods on earth.

Protein should be the only acid food consumed regularly and has shown to be bone healthy when consumed properly.

Wheat's effect in diabetics

2009-11-25T08:58:00.002-06:00

It is common knowledge that type 1 diabetics are at increased risk for celiac disease. New research from the journal Diabetes also suggests that they also have an abnormal, exaggerated immune response to wheat proteins, separate from any genetic, gluten-related abnormality.

Bonnie - gluten intolerance combined with a wheat protein intolerance is the ultimate double whammy disaster!

WSJ - flu fighters in your food

2009-11-25T08:45:00.002-06:00

Courtesy of Laura Landro, Wall Street Journal

While many people are still waiting for swine-flu vaccine to become available in their area, there is a lot they can do in their own kitchens to help fight off disease and build a strong immune system. Scientists in the growing field of nutritional immunology are unveiling new evidence of the complex role that nutrition plays in fighting off infectious diseases like influenza. A diet rich in nutrients such as vitamin A, found in colorful fruits and vegetables, and zinc, found in seafood, nuts and whole grains, can provide the critical fuel the body needs to fight off disease, heal injuries, and survive illness when it does strike, experts say.

Scientists are still studying all the complex ways in which nutrients interact with the immune system. There is still much that they don't know about minerals such as zinc, for instance, including how they are absorbed and all the roles they play in the body. But scientists do know that certain vitamins and minerals can improve the body's ability to fight off infection: Studies in healthy elderly adults, for example, have shown an improved immune response to vaccination and fewer infections after receiving extra doses of vitamin E.

To create immune cells to fight off a specific infection, the body has to rapidly draw nutrients from the bloodstream, says Anuraj Shankar, a researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health. "If you don't have an adequate intake of vitamins and minerals, you won't be able to produce the number of immune cells you need, and the immune cells you do produce may be compromised," Dr. Shankar says. That makes it impossible to mount an effective response to infection, he says.

The benefits of good nutrition may have been recognized first by Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician who declared "let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food." An 18th century naval surgeon's discovery that citrus fruits could cure scurvy in sailors was later recognized as a vitamin C deficiency, and after the 1930s, when dairies began to fortify milk with vitamin D, the disease known as rickets was virtually eliminated in the U.S. Researchers warn that malnourished people may be a breeding ground for more dangerous infectious diseases.

Animal studies at the University of North Carolina show that in a host with poor nutrition, viruses mutate in the face of a weak immune response to become more powerful. And once those mutations occur, even well-nourished hosts are susceptible to the newly virulent virus. "A lot of people may think malnutrition on the other side of the world isn't their problem," says Melinda A. Beck, a researcher at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. But malnutrition "is a driving force in emerging infectious diseases that are spreading around the world," she says. The human body doesn't have to be starving to suffer from malnutrition.

Studies show that obesity, in addition to its other health risks, may also make people more susceptible to infections like the flu. A diet heavy on processed and fast foods may be low in the vitamins and minerals important for health. And diets that are high in saturated fat appear to actually depress the body's immune response, increasing the risk of infections. Dr. Beck says studies of mice show that only 4% of lean animals infected with the flu virus die. That compares with a death rate of between 40% and 60% in obese mice infected with the virus. And after a small study showed that obese people vaccinated for the flu didn't mount a strong immune response, the University of North Carolina is expanding its trials to compare vaccination response rates in lean and obese people. When obese people fall ill, "their immune function may not be strong enough to mount an effective response," says Donald Hensrud, a Mayo Clinic specialist in preventive and internal medicine and editor-in-chief of "The Mayo Clinic Diet," a new book promoting weight loss through a healthy diet that allows unlimited quantities of fruits and vegetables.

Scientists have long known that some vitamins, minerals and other nutrients can play a key role in the immune system by acting as antioxidants. These protect and repair cells from oxidative stress, the damage caused by molecules known as free radicals. But nutrients work in ways beyond acting as antioxidants, says Dr. Beck. For example, vitamin A can enhance the immune system "by stimulating specific proteins necessary for immune function by activating specific genes," she says. So, if vitamin A is deficient, then the immune cells that require vitamin A to function properly won't work as efficiently. Animal studies show that a deficiency of vitamin B-6, which helps maintain the health of organs that make white blood cells, can decrease antibody production and suppress the immune response. And selenium in small amounts can help stimulate immune cells and may prevent the growth of some tumors.

A survey by the CDC in 2007 showed that the majority of adults consume less than the government's recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. But quantity matters: A 2004 Harvard study of 110,000 men and women showed that people who averaged eight or more servings of fruit and vegetables daily were 30% less likely to have had a heart attack or stroke than those who had only 1.5 servings daily.

Nutrition experts say to boost immunity it is also important to avoid processed foods, and to minimize trans fats and unhealthy saturated fats from animal products and vegetable oils like palm and coconut. Instead, they say, people should eat foods rich in unsaturated fats such as olive oil. Contradictory AdviceSome advice for a healthy diet can seem contradictory. For example, heart-healthy diets typically include unsaturated fats such as omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish such as salmon and trout and in flaxseed and walnuts. For people who don't want those foods, nutritionists may recommend fish-oil supplements, which can be beneficial in suppressing chronic inflammation in the body, a condition that can lead to coronary artery disease and arthritis. But those same anti-inflammatory properties of fish oil can also suppress the immune responses necessary to combat an acute viral infection. Studies at the University of North Carolina have shown that mice fed with fish oil have an impaired resistance to infections, including the flu. "If I suppress the immune response and get a viral infection, I'm worse off," says Dr. Beck, who is studying the links between fish oil and resistance to influenza.

One nutrient hard to get in food is vitamin D. Even with the fortification of milk, orange juice and other food products, some experts have been sounding the alarm in recent years about wide deficiencies, especially in children. Tests are available for about $100 to determine vitamin D levels, but their accuracy is in question. And just how much vitamin D different people need is the subject of considerable debate. The federal government's current recommendations range from 200 international units daily for children to 600 IUs for adults, with a safe upper limit of 2,000 IUs daily. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 400 IUs for children, and vitamin D experts at Oregon State University and elsewhere recommend 2,000 IUs daily for all adults. The Institute of Medicine, a government advisory group, is expected next year to update the recommendations. Adrian Gombart, a researcher at Oregon State University's Linus Pauling Institute, says vitamin D, in addition to building strong bones and fighting off a variety of diseases, appears to activate proteins that help the body fight off infection. "Vitamin D won't prevent you from getting the flu, but it might allow you to mount an optimal immune response, suffer less of the effects, and resolve the infection more quickly," says Dr. Gombart, who is researching the nutrient's role in stimulating immune cells.

Bonnie - the study about fish oil possibly suppressing immune function against the flu is one mouse study and needs much more study. However, there is no doubting the immune supporting effects of Cod Liver Oil, which contains fish oil but also has the added benefit of vitamin A& D.

Beta Carotene deficiency looms

2009-11-25T08:26:00.001-06:00

"We mustn't protect ourselves against consuming too much beta-carotene, but rather against consuming too little." This was the conclusion drawn by leading experts in the fields of medical and nutritional science at the 2nd Hohenheim Nutrition Conference in Stuttgart, Germany. Georg Lietz, Ph.D., of Newcastle University reported the general population in the United Kingdom and other European countries is not obtaining sufficient beta-carotene through diet alone, and thus cannot benefit from the essential health promoting functions offered by the vitamin A precursor. Vitamin supplements and foodstuffs enriched with beta-carotene can be a good and safe way to insure adequate vitamin A intake. Concerning the repeated discussion of the safety of beta-carotene, professor Hans K. Biesalski of the University of Hohenheim, Germany, explained the only potential for danger existed in the case of extremely high doses of supplements consumed by heavy smokers, although even for this segment of the population a daily consumption of up to 10 mg would still be harmless.

Phthalates linked to ADHD

2009-11-24T09:11:00.002-06:00

Phthalates are important components of many consumer products, including toys, cleaning materials, plastics, and personal care items. A new report by Korean scientists in Biological Psychiatry, adds to the potentially alarming findings about phthalates. They measured urine phthalate concentrations and evaluated symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using teacher-reported symptoms and computerized tests that measured attention and impulsivity. They found a significant positive association between phthalate exposure and ADHD, meaning that the higher the concentration of phthalate metabolites in the urine, the worse the ADHD symptoms and/or test scores.

Steve - feminizing boys and now exacerbating ADHD symptoms? Our government regulators better take a long, hard look. I bet they will not like what they find.

FDA, Merck took too long to pull Vioxx

2009-11-24T09:09:00.000-06:00

The risks of taking anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx could have been detected nearly four years before the drug was pulled from the market, according to analysis of nearly 30 clinical trials.The findings, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine on Monday, analyzed 30 Vioxx trials involving around 20,000 individuals and fund evidence of the drug's risks from as early as 2000.The Merck-made drug was pulled in 2004 after it was linked with serious cardiovascular problems, including heart attacks.Much of trial data used in the meta-study has only become available because of litigation against the firm.The study's authors, including Joseph Ross of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, said the results showed the need for the open publication of clinical trials."Physicians and the public deserve to be in a position to make informed choices about risk and benefits (of pharmaceutical products)," the authors said.Merck voluntarily withdrew Vioxx from sale in September 2004 after a company internal study in 2001 showed the drug doubled the risks of heart attack in patients who took it for 18 months or longer.The company has since faced a slew of lawsuits and was forced to pay billions of dollars in damages.

GSK pulls swine flu vaccine in Canada

2009-11-24T08:41:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of AP

Pharmaceuticals company GlaxoSmithKline PLC said Tuesday it has advised medical staff in Canada to not use one batch of swine flu vaccines in case they trigger life-threatening allergies. Company spokeswoman Gwenan White said that they issued the advice after reports that one batch of the swine flu vaccine might have caused more allergic reactions than normal. "We have advised health care professionals not to use that batch while health authorities and GlaxoSmithKline investigate," she said. White said the batch at issue, which has been distributed across Canada, contains 172,000 doses of the vaccine. She declined to say how many doses had been administered before the advice to stop using them was given. White said U.K.-based GlaxoSmithKline wrote to Canadian health care professionals advising them to stop using the batch on Nov. 18. She says a total of 7.5 million doses of the vaccine have been distributed in Canada.

Dietary items found for healthy colon

2009-11-23T10:23:00.003-06:00

Eating fruits and vegetables, and drinking tea and red wine may offer overweight men and normal weight women some protection from colon and rectal cancers. Plant-based foods contain flavonoids, compounds thought to interfere with cancer-causing processes, the study team notes in the International Journal of Cancer.

120,852 men and women, 55 to 69 years old, filled out dietary surveys as part of a large designed to assess ties between diet and cancer. Over about 13 years, 1,444 men and 1,041 women developed colon or rectal cancer. Compared with the least intake, the greatest intake of catechins -- common in berries, grapes, black chocolate, tea, red wine, and some beans -- seemed to be associated with lower colorectal cancer risk among both overweight men and normal weight women. The researchers observed a similar trend for flavonols -- found in onions, kale, apples, pears, tea, wine, and fruit juices -- in normal weight women.

FDA investigating Meridia

2009-11-23T10:22:00.001-06:00

U.S. regulators are reviewing preliminary data suggesting patients taking Abbott Laboratories Inc.'s weight loss drug Meridia may have a higher risk of cardiovascular problems, the Food and Drug Administration said on Friday. The FDA said early findings from a recent study suggested patients taking Meridia, also known as sibutramine, may have a higher number of cardiovascular-related problems, including heart attacks, strokes, cardiac arrests and deaths, when compared to patients who took a placebo. Meridia is an appetite suppressant approved to treat obese adults. It can cause side effects ranging from headaches and constipation to higher blood pressure and a faster heart rate.

Funeral Industry Workers Exposed to Formaldehyde Face Higher Risk of Leukemia

2009-11-23T09:47:00.002-06:00

Long durations of exposure to formaldehyde used for embalming in the funeral industry were associated with an increased risk of death from myeloid leukemia, according to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Previous studies have shown excess mortality from lymphohematopoietic malignancies and brain cancer in anatomists, pathologists, and funeral industry workers, all of whom may have worked with formaldehyde.

In a case-control study among funeral industry workers who had died between 1960 and 1986, researchers compared those who died from lymphohematopoietic malignancies and brain tumors with those who died from other causes. Lifetime work practices and exposures to formaldehyde were obtained by interviews with next of kin and coworkers. This study was the first epidemiological investigation, to the authors' knowledge, to relate cancer risk to duration of employment, work practices, and estimated formaldehyde exposure levels in the funeral industry. The number of years of embalming practice and related formaldehyde exposures were associated with statistically significantly increased mortality from myeloid leukaemia, with the greatest risk among those who practiced embalming for more than 20 years.

"Further studies of leukemia risk in relation to specific embalming practices and exposures, as well as similar specific exposure studies in other professional groups that are exposed to formaldehyde and that have an increased risk of leukaemia, should help to clarify our understanding of cancer risks related to formaldehyde."

Bonnie - now that they have shown negative effects in funeral workers and Katrina victims, can anyone tell us how constant exposure to formaldehyde through injected vaccinations can affect our health? Unfortunately not. There is no data.

Low marks for US on premature births

2009-11-20T08:52:00.001-06:00

Courtesy of NY Times

More than half a million babies — one out of eight — are born prematurely each year in the United States, prompting the March of Dimes to give the nation a D on its premature births report card. The report card did not give an A to a single state. Vermont, which has a preterm birth rate of 9 percent, got a B, while 17 states got F’s, including Mississippi, with a preterm birth rate of 18.3 percent. The prematurity rate in Puerto Rico, at 19.4 percent, was the highest in the country.

Several states did receive stars for taking steps to reduce smoking among women of childbearing age or providing health insurance coverage for pregnant women, which may help reduce preterm birth rates, the report card noted. Multiple births and elective Caesarean sections also push up preterm birth rates. The March of Dimes has been encouraging pregnant women to refuse to be induced for delivery before 39 weeks unless there is a medical reason.

B-6 for morning sickness

2009-11-19T09:26:00.003-06:00

Vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxine or the activated form of B-6, Pyridoxyl-5-Phosphate) is considered a first-line treatment for nausea and vomiting (morning sickness) in pregnancy by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Vitamin B6, 12.5 - 25 mg three or four times daily is safe and often effective for mild nausea.

Folic acid raises cancer risk?

2009-11-18T14:28:00.003-06:00

Bonnie and Steve - A new study published in the November 18, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) raised concerns that high folic acid supplementation may increase the risk of developing cancer.

The latest JAMA study was based on two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials during which almost 7,000 patients with ischemic heart disease were given vitamin B12, vitamin B6, or placebo between 1998 and 2005. The trials took place in Norway, a country that does not fortify its products with folic acid. Basing the trials in Norway was significant because it allowed researchers to better gauge the impacts of folic acid supplementation. In the study, folic acid and B12 supplementation was associated with a 21% increased risk for cancer, a 38% increased risk for dying from the disease, and an 18% increase in deaths from all causes.

The majority of the participants were former smokers, and many of the cancer deaths in the study were related to lung cancer. The real headline of this study should be that smoking increases the risk of lung cancer—the study found that a total of 94 percent of the subjects who developed lung cancer were either current or former smokers.

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated no associations between intakes of folate or folic acid and lung cancer risk. It is also important to note that the general rate for cancer has gone down in the United States, where folic acid fortification has been mandatory since 1998. If high doses of folic acid have a paradoxical effect on lung cancer, then we likely would not have seen these drastic reductions in lung cancer incidence over the past two decades.

Reference our October post Understanding the Essential Folate for anyone who doubts the effectiveness of folic acid. As we have said so many times over the years, you cannot judge a nutrient by testing it on smokers and patients with heart disease.

USDA backs rewarding schools serving healthy food

2009-11-18T11:20:00.002-06:00

Schools that serve more fruits, vegetables and whole grains to pupils should see higher federal support rates than those serving less-healthier meals loaded with high fats and sugar, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Tuesday.

Child nutrition programs, which include school lunch and breakfast, are due for an overhaul but Congress is not expected to act before 2010. The government has targeted improving the nutritional quality and access to school meals amid rising child obesity rates. Vilscak did not suggest how large the bonus should be.

Schools get $2.88 in cash and Agriculture Department-provided food for each lunch meal served for free to poor children this school year. School meal programs provide an estimated 40 million meals daily and more than half the student's food intake during the school day. Students can receive free or subsidized meals if their family's income is low enough. Some $16.9 billion was allotted for child nutrition in the fiscal year that opened on October 1, up $1.9 million from fiscal 2008.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Blanche Lincoln told Vilsack she was willing to pay more to serve healthier foods. "I'm certainly sympathetic to the concept of higher reimbursement rates. Common sense does tell us that as we improve that quality it also increases the cost," she said.

Steve - as sad is it is to say, this may be the one incentive that will work. However, nothing positive will happen unless the USDA greatly improves the quality of its own food that it provides as part of the school lunch program. However, if enough requests come from schools to spur demand, the USDA must react, and thus, will allocate more money to provide more fruits and vegetables as staple foodstuffs.

Two Important Weight Control Studies

2009-11-17T09:52:00.003-06:00

According to one study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, most weight-control strategies emphasize energy-restricted diets and increased physical activity. Most are not effective over the long-term. Researchers found that a shift from a "weight-centered" approach to a more "health-centered" approach, or Health at Every Size (HAES), does not focus on weight-loss exclusively. Instead, it focuses on a healthy lifestyle with an emphasis on size acceptance and balanced eating. The subjects who followed the HAES model had lower feelings and perceptions of hunger with food intake when compared to the control (dieting) group.

Another study from Nutrition and Metabolism stated that exercise alone appeared to have minimal impact on measured outcomes in obese women. However, when combined with a diet rich in lean protein, greater improvements in waist circumference and body composition were seen. The protocol also stimulated improvements in markers of cardiovascular disease risk, energy expenditure, and psychosocial parameters.

Bonnie - let me get this straight. Instead of focusing on weight-loss fad diets, one should look to healthful, balanced lifestyle and dietary choices while embracing your body size, thus allowing the weight, however much you lose, to come off naturally? On top of that, combine exercise and a diet rich in lean protein encourages greater improvements in body composition as opposed to exercise alone?

Gosh, where have I heard this before?

Meditation lowers heart risk by 50 percent in study

2009-11-17T08:45:00.002-06:00

Patients with coronary heart disease who practiced the stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation® technique had nearly 50 percent lower rates of heart attack, stroke, and death compared to nonmeditating controls, according to the results of a first-ever study presented during the annual meeting of the American Heart Association.

The nine-year, randomized control trial followed 201 African American men and women, average age 59 years, with narrowing of arteries in their hearts who were randomly assigned to either practice the stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation technique or to participate in a control group which received health education classes in traditional risk factors, including dietary modification and exercise.

All participants continued standard medications and other usual medical care.

The study found:

A 47 percent reduction in the combination of death, heart attacks, and strokes in the participants
Clinically significant (5 mm Hg average) reduction in blood pressure associated with decrease in clinical events
Significant reductions in psychological stress in the high-stress subgroup

The trial was sponsored by a $3.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health-National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and was conducted at The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee in collaboration with the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa.

According to Robert Schneider, M.D., FACC, lead author and director of the Center for Natural Medicine and Prevention, "Previous research on Transcendental Meditation has shown reductions in blood pressure, psychological stress, and other risk factors for heart disease, irrespective of ethnicity. But this is the first controlled clinical trial to show that long-term practice of this particular stress reduction program reduces the incidence of clinical cardiovascular events, that is heart attacks, strokes and mortality."

"This study is an example of the contribution of a lifestyle intervention -- stress management -- to the prevention of cardiovascular disease in high-risk patients," said Theodore Kotchen, M.D., co-author of the study, professor of medicine, and associate dean for clinical research at the Medical College.

Steve - as we have alluded to in the past, meditation can be a powerful stress reducer.

Probiotics intake beneficial against infections in kids

2009-11-17T08:38:00.002-06:00

Lactobacillus Acidophilus can decrease the risk of upper respiratory tract infections including rhinitis, pharyngitis, sinusitis, otitis, and the common cold in children attending day care centers. The findings, which were published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition, also found that the rate of absence from childcare centers due to infections was lower in children receiving the probiotic in comparison to those who were not.

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 281 children attended day care centers in Zagreb, Croatia. The authors found that, compared to the placebo group, children in the probiotic group (probiotic powder put into milk) had a significantly reduced risk of upper respiratory tract, a reduced risk of respiratory tract infections lasting longer than three days, and a significantly lower number of days with respiratory symptoms. However, they noted that there was no risk reduction in regard to lower respiratory tract infections as a result of the consumption of the probiotic. And they found that children in the probiotic group had no significant reduction in the risk of gastrointestinal infections, vomiting episodes, and diarrheal episodes and no reduction in the number of days with gastrointestinal symptoms compared to the placebo cohort.

Bonnie - I would venture to say that these results were not as impressive as the Pediatrics study because the product was put in a milk. I would have liked to have seen them have some of the subjects take the probiotics alone.

Is Swine Flu more deadly than seasonal flu?

2009-11-16T14:41:00.004-06:00

Question:

CDC estimates the number of deaths caused by the swine flu since April is 4,000. Six months into a regular flu season, there are already 18,000 deaths. If what the CDC says is true. Why such hysteria?

Answer:

Please comment below. We'd like to hear your answer.

P.S. Why has there not been a public outcry about deaths related bacteria transmitted by ticks so far this year? To date, two kinds of tick-related bacteria have killed 1,230 Americans.

Which age group is at greatest death risk from H1N1?

2009-11-16T14:29:00.002-06:00

The answer may surprise you. According to a November 12th study from the Lancet, which focused on Mexico, where the outbreak originally began, the greatest mortality risk were in those:

Aged 70 and older: 10.3%
60 to 69 year-olds: 5.7%
50 to 59 year-olds: 4.5%
40 to 49 year-olds: 2.7%
30 to 39 year-olds: 2%
20 to 29 year-olds: 0.9%
10 to 19 year-olds: 0.2%
1 to 9 year-olds: 0.3%
1 year or younger: 1.6%

While the group most likely to be infected with H1N1 are those aged 10 to 39, this data certainly shows that young persons are not dying at a higher rate than older persons like some media reports lead you to believe.

Monsanto asks for approval of trans-fat free soy

2009-11-16T13:14:00.002-06:00

Monsanto has submitted evidence to the FDA and USDA backing the safety of its Vistive III soybean traits, intended to provide heat stable, trans-fat free cooking oils. Food manufacturers have been under increasing pressure to eliminate trans fats from foods, after evidence mounted to show they raise levels of LDL (so-called ‘bad’) cholesterol, while lowering levels of HDL (‘good’) cholesterol, thereby clogging arteries and causing heart disease.

The latest soybean traits from Monsanto have also been billed by the company as a way to “significantly lower” levels of saturated fats. Monsanto already has low-linolenic soybean oils on the market under its Vistive brand – KFC and Kellogg’s have both used Vistive to slash trans fats from their products – but the company claims that its new generation traits confer “significantly extended fry life” and are more stable at high temperatures than either existing Vistive oils or conventional soybean oils.

Bonnie - pardon me if I am a bit skeptical of this new concoction. We hope to see the patent to see how it is chemically altered.

Plastic ingredient "feminizes" boys

2009-11-16T13:07:00.002-06:00

Males exposed to high doses of phthalates in the womb went on to be less likely to play with boys' toys like cars or to join in rough and tumble games. This latest work adds to concerns about the safety of phthalates, found in vinyl flooring and PVC shower curtains. The findings are reported in the International Journal of Andrology.

Phthalates have the ability to disrupt hormones, and have been banned in toys in the EU (not in the US) for some years. However, they are still widely used in many different household items, including plastic furniture and packaging. There are many different types and some mimic the female hormone estrogen. This feminizing capacity of phthalates makes them true 'gender benders'

The same researchers have already shown that this can mean boys are born with genital abnormalities. Now they say certain phthalates also impact on the developing brain, by knocking out the action of the male hormone testosterone.

Bonnie - we have been reporting on this category of chemicals for a long time now. The fact that researchers earmarked the changes in the womb show once again the epigenetic effect from environment and lifestyle choices.