Health News from Nature Cures Clinic

Vitamin D Levels and Metabolic Syndrome

2008-06-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

Do we still need reasons to supplement with vitamin D? A recent study
published in the European Journal of Endocrinology found that subjects
with the highest blood vitamin D levels had an astounding 73% reduced
risk of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is the name given to a
collection of signs and symptoms that together indicate an increased
risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The syndrome includes
elevated blood sugar and triglycerides, abdominal obesity, high blood
pressure and low HDL ("good") cholesterol.

Another study, just published in the Archives of Internal Medicine,
found that men with the lowest blood levels of vitamin D had *2.5 times
the risk* of a heart attack as men with the highest levels of vitamin D.

Oh, vitamin D, is there no disease you can't protect against?

"Relation of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Parathyroid Hormone Levels with
Metabolic Syndrome among US Adults," Reis J, Miller E, et al, Eur J
Endocrinol, 2008 Apr 21

"25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Risk of Myocardial Infarction in Men" Arch
Intern Med. 2008;168(11):1174-1180.

Physical Activity and Dementia in the Elderly

2008-06-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

Want to cut the risk of dementia in elderly individuals by 50%? Get them
to move their bodies. In a study published in the Journal of
Gerontology, it was found that in elderly individuals with poor
physical functioning, increasing their physical activity and
functioning conferred a 50% reduced risk of dementia during the 6.1
years of follow-up. Given the millions of elderly with poor physical
functioning who are institutionalized all over the country, the savings
to the medical system through this intervention would be astounding.

"Physical activity, physical function, and incident dementia in elderly
men: the honolulu-Asia aging study," Taaffe DR, White LR, et al, J
Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci, 2008; 63(5): 529-35.

Fish Intake and Colorectal Cancer

2008-06-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

In a very large, long-term study of colorectal cancer, it was found
that intake of fish oil and dietary fish dramatically decreases the risk
of colorectal cancer. In this study, which monitored over 21,000
subjects for 22 years, it was found that those who consumed fish 5
times/week had a 40% reduction in colorectal cancer. In classic "let's
understate the benefits of natural therapies" fashion, the authors
concluded, "Our results ... suggest that intakes of fish and long-chain
omega-3 fatty acids from fish may decrease the risk for colorectal
cancer." If a drug had this kind of protective effect, we'd all be
forced to take it as a matter of national security.

"A 22-year Prospective Study of Fish, n-3 Fatty Acid Intake, and
Colorectal Cancer Risk in Men," Hall MN, Ma J, et al, Cancer Epidemiol
Biomarkers Prev, 2008; 17(5): 1136-43.

Black Tea and Ovarian Cancer Risk

2008-06-11T13:54:00.000-07:00

In a hospital-based study involving 414 women with cancer, it was found
that women who drank 2 of more cups of black tea had a 30% reduced risk
of ovarian cancer. Consuming 2 or more cups of decaffeinated coffee has
had nearly a 30% reduction in risk (29%, actually). No protective effect
could be found for women who drank caffeinated coffee.

"Consumption of black tea or coffee and risk of ovarian cancer," Baker
JA, Boakye K, et al, Int J Gynecol Cancer, 2007; 17(1): 50-4.

Plant Sterols, Fish Oil and Cardiovascular Disease

2008-06-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

A combination of two supplements can significantly improve total
cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL and LDL. Published in the Journal of
Nutrition, this study looked at 60 individuals with elevated lipids.
Those individuals who were given a combination of plant sterols and
omega-3 oils experienced a significant improvement in their lipid
profiles. Specifically, their total cholesterol dropped by over 13%,
their triglycerides fell by 25%, their LDL ("bad") cholesterol fell by
over 12% and their HDL ("good") cholesterol rose by over 8%.

These are precisely the changes that physicians want to see for
lowering an individual's risk of cardiovascular disease.

"The lipid-lowering effects of phytosterols and (n-3) polyunsaturated
fatty acids are synergistic and complementary in hyperlipidemic men and
women," Micallef MA, Garg ML, et al, J Nutr, 2008; 138(6): 1086-90.

Depression in the Elderly

2008-06-11T13:51:00.000-07:00

A study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry followed 521
people over the age of 65 for 2-3 years. At the beginning of the study
none of the subjects were depressed. However, at the end of the study it
was discovered that those people who had lower levels of vitamin B12 and
folate in their blood - and higher levels of a substance called
homocysteine - had a significantly higher risk of depression than other
people in the study.

"Predictive value of folate, vitamin B12 and homocysteine levels in
late-life depression," Kim JM, Stewart R, et al, Br J Psychiatry, 2008;
192(4): 268-74.

Pycnogenol and Osteoporosis

2008-04-29T13:42:00.000-07:00

A double-blind, placebo controlled trial involving 156 patients with osteoporosis found that supplementing with pycnogenol - an extract of pine bark - significantly reduced many of the symptoms associated with medications used to treat osteoporosis. Specifically, there was a 58% reduction in pain, there was increased walking distance on a treadmill test, decreased gastrointestinal complications (63% reduction), and decreased foot edema (79% reduction in the treatment group vs 1% in the placebo group).

The study used 100mg of pycnogenol daily for 3 months.

"Treatment of osteoarthritis with Pycnogenol(®). The SVOS (San Valentino osteo-arthrosis study). Evaluation of signs, symptoms, physical performance and vascular aspects," Belcaro G, Cesarone MR, et al, Phytotherapy Research, 2008; 22(4): 518-23.

Vitamin C and Exercise Recovery

2008-04-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

For all you exercise fans, a study in the Journal of Sports
Medicine and Physical Fitness has shown that supplementing with 1
gram of vitamin C prior to exercise reduced the level of muscle
damage induced by the exercise. In addition, other important health
indicators such as antioxidant status and stress levels in the body were
lower in the vitamin C group than in the control group.

"Effect of vitamin C supplementation on lipid peroxidation, muscle
damage and inflammation after 30-min exercise at 75% v.o(2max),"
Nakhostin-Roohi B, Babaei P, et al, J Sports Med Phys Fitness, 2008;
48(2): 217-24.

DHA and reading comprehension

2008-04-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

A study published in the journal Clinical Pediatrics found that when 4-year old children were supplemented with a fatty acid known as
DHA, they had a statistically significant improvement in their listening comprehension and vocabulary acquisition. In the study, 175 children were assigned to receive either 400mg daily of DHA or a placebo. The best dietary sources of DHA are cold-water fish such as salmon and sardines. DHA is also found in seaweed and algae.

"Assessing the effect of docosahexaenoic Acid on cognitive functions in healthy, preschool children: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study," Ryan AS, Nelson EB, Clin Pediatr (Phila), 2008; 47(4): 355-62.

Vitamin D and Vascular Disease

2008-04-23T20:58:00.000-07:00

Low levels of vitamin D have already been associated with everything from cancer to depression. A new study has found that low vitamin D levels lead to a significantly increased risk of peripheral vascular disease (PVD).

PVD covers a wide range of conditions, from atherosclerosis to embolisms. While only a small portion of individuals with PVD have been diagnosed, the complications of PVD include heart disease, stroke and many other serious medical problems.

It has already been shown that vitamin D could cut in half the risk of both colon and breast cancer. By adding PVD to the list, vitamin D alone has the potential to save millions of lives and billions of dollars each year in medical expenses.

Olive Oil and Heart Disease

2008-04-21T20:06:00.000-07:00

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States and around the world. One in three adults in the US, it is estimated, has some degree of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

A recent study found that individuals who consumed the most olive oil in their diets had the least amount of thickening of their arteries. More specifically, the highest consumption of olive oil had far less than half the risk of artery thickening.

In everyday terms, this means that olive oil consumption dramatically lowers the risk of atherosclerosis, which is a leading cause of CVD and death.

This one change in the US diet - a substantial increase in the use of olive oil - rather than less healthy corn or soybean oil, for example - could save billions of dollars currently spent to treat heart disease.

2007-01-07T21:23:00.000-08:00

This is to test the blog.