Vitamin D deficiency found in advanced cancer patients
- 04 October 2011
People who have advanced cancer are more likely to have low levels of
vitamin D, according to research presented today at the 53rd American
Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting. Read more/less...
The researchers found that nearly three out of four cancer patients referred
for radiotherapy treatment had less than the recommended level of vitamin D
(30ng/mL) in their blood. Also, those with more advanced cancers (stage III)
had the lowest levels of vitamin D. However, the same association was not
found for stage IV cancers, the most advanced stage of cancer.
Dr Virginia Warren, Assistant Medical Director, Bupa, said: "We know that
vitamin D is beneficial for good bone health. However, whether vitamin D is
also beneficial in preventing cancer remains controversial. Evidence is
growing that having insufficient or deficient levels of vitamin D may
increase your risk of various cancers.
"In this relatively small study, a link has been made between low levels of
vitamin D and more advanced stages of cancer. But what we don’t yet know is
what comes first – does having advanced cancer cause a vitamin D deficiency,
or is a vitamin D deficiency causally related to developing advanced cancer?
Although this study makes a contribution to the overall vitamin D and cancer
debate, it really only suggests a small part of the story, as we don't know
whether giving the patients vitamin D supplement had any impact on their
prognosis. Other researchers are addressing this question. An example is a
study looking at the effect of vitamin D treatment over three years for
patients with skin cancer (melonoma), which has been surgically removed.
This is being done by a group of Italian researchers led by Dr Testori in
Milan.
“Given the present state of knowledge about vitamin D and health, people in
the UK should aim to spend some time in the sun in the middle of each day in
summer in short sleeves and without sunscreen, being careful to avoid
reddening of their skin. In the winter, and for those who for cultural or
other reasons can't bare their skin, people should consider taking a vitamin
D supplement – two high-strength (12.5 microgram) capsules is appropriate
for adults. Those who spend lots of time indoors, always cover all their
skin and/or have dark skin might want to discuss whether or not they have
vitamin D deficiency with their GP. If so, this would need treatment rather
than supplementation.”
This study included 160 male and female cancer patients who had been
referred for radiotherapy treatment in the USA. The types of cancer they had
included breast, prostate, lung, thyroid, bowel and other types of the
disease. Most of the people had stage I or stage II cancer. Each person had
a blood test to determine their vitamin D levels within 90 days of their
initial consultation.
Of these people, 73.8 percent had low levels of vitamin D, less than
30ng/ml, and 31.9 percent of these people had less than 20ng/ml. The
researchers considered the optimal level of vitamin D to be 30ng/ml. The
people who had low levels of vitamin D were given a vitamin D supplement for
eight weeks. These results are yet to be made public.
When analysing the results, the researchers took into account other factors
such as age, sex and the time of year they checked vitamin D levels, but
they didn't take into account previous cancer treatments (if any). This may
have had an impact on vitamin D levels.
$11 Million Patent Infringement Judgment Awarded to Blendtec - June 22 2010
On June 17, 2010, a Federal jury found that Ohio-based
Vita-Mix Corporation willfully infringed
Blendtec’s patents on its five sided blending jar, and
awarded Blendtec $11,008,308 in damages. The award is the largest award in a
patent infringement case in several years in the state of Utah. Read more/less...
Four years ago, Blendtec, represented by Brett Foster of Holland & Hart, filed suit against Vita-Mix for selling copies of its revolutionary blending jar, invented by Blendtec’s CEO and Will It Blend? internet celebrity, Tom Dickson. After eight successful re-examinations by the U.S. Patent Office and countless legal maneuvers by Vita-Mix attorneys, Vita-Mix was found to be a willful infringer.
Following the verdict, Dickson stated, “I am grateful to the members of the jury for their thoughtful efforts that will benefit not only our employees, but will also send a message to all those who think it’s okay to steal others’ ideas and inventions in an effort to make money for themselves.”
Foster, who led Holland & Hart’s team of attorneys commented, “We went in knowing that we would be fighting an 80- year-old-company, the Goliath of the blending world. But our job is to protect innovation and thwart imitation when it infringes upon our clients’ proprietary designs. We are very pleased with the jury’s verdict. Justice was served.”
Foster says that Blendtec will immediately seek a “permanent injunction to stop any further willful infringement by Vita-Mix” and will ask for “enhanced” or punitive damages and attorneys’ fees “as a result of the jury’s finding of willful infringement, which is rarely found in patent cases.” U.S. Chief Judge Tena Campbell now has the discretion of enhancing the damages the jury awarded up to $33 million plus attorneys’ fees, which could make this Utah’s largest patent infringement award ever.
Organic food boosts nutritional quality of breast milk -
August 9, 2007
A new study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, showed that organic
dairy and meat products in a mother’s diet positively affect the nutritional quality
of her breast milk, markedly increasing beneficial fatty acids, reports Organic
Monitor. Read more/less...
The study, which involved 312 breast-feeding women with 1-month old infants
from the Netherlands, showed that a diet in which 90% or more of dairy and meat
products are organic resulted in measurably higher levels of conjugated linoleic
acid — a type of fat believed to have anti-carcinogenic, anti-atherosclerotic,
anti-diabetic and immune-enhancing effects.
“The study shows that breast-feeding mothers can influence the supply and quality
of fatty acids for their infants, by eating a diet with organic dairy,” says
Dr Lukas Rist, lead author of the study and head of research at the Paracelsus
Hospital in Switzerland.
These findings are supported by Charlotte Vallaeys, farm and food policy analyst
at The Cornucopia Institute, who says: “Many consumers know that organic foods
reduce their exposure to pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics, but this study
shows that organic foods also offer superior nutritional quality.”
Source:
Natural Products Online
Food Allergies -- Do You Have Unexplained Symptoms?
- July
2007
Food allergies, which claim the lives of 100 to 200 people and send another 30,000
to the emergency room each year, are on the rise in the United States. In fact,
they’ve doubled in the last 15 years, according to this Washington Post article,
and now affect 4 percent of adults, and 8 percent of children aged 2 and under. Read more/less...
There are many theories about why food allergies are now classified as a public
health problem. Among them is the hygiene hypothesis, which contends that growing
up in an overly sterile environment can cause our immune systems to overreact
when they’re confronted with harmless substances.
Some also blame changes in the way food is processed, genetically engineered
foods, or the age when solid foods are first given to infants.
Just eight common foods—milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (like cashews), fish,
shellfish, soy and wheat (gluten)—account for about 90 percent of all allergy
reactions in the United States. However, you can also be allergic or sensitive
to food additives like artificial colors or preservatives.
There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of scientific papers researching tea, but
the results are often split. While one study might find that tea boosts immune function,
another often shows no effect. The research is hampered by the fact that most of
the studies have examined effects on animals, and little research has been done
on the differences between various types of tea. Read more/less...
Nonetheless, a growing number of studies have suggested potential health benefits
from tea, and this has attracted a great deal of interest. Research has indicated
that tea could have beneficial effects including:
* Improved mental alertness
* Lower blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels
* Reduced blood pressure
* Lower risk of ***, colon, lung, ovarian and prostate cancer, and
* Protection again Type 2 diabetes
In 2006, a Japanese company petitioned the FDA for permission to label green
tea as offering protection against heart disease. The agency denied the request,
saying that the research on the subject was "supportive but not conclusive."
One component of tea, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), could help prevent psoriasis,
prostate cancer and colon tumours. It is now being used as an ingredient in
health foods, beverages and dietary supplements.
Want to Burn More Fat During Exercise? Take a Break - July
2007
Allowing time for a rest period during your workout burns more fat than exercising
for one continuous session, according to a Japanese study that could change the
way we look at exercise. Read more/less...
The unprecedented study compared the workout sessions of seven healthy men with
an average age of 25. Their respiratory gas and heart rate were monitored, and
blood samples taken, while they performed the following scenarios:
* A 60-minute workout on a cycling machine, followed by a 60-minute rest period
(single)
* Two 30-minute workouts on a cycling machine with a 20-minute rest in between,
and a 60-minute recovery period at the end (repeated)
* A 60-minute rest period (for control purposes)
It was found that the participants had a greater amount of fat breakdown, or
lipolysis, during the repeated session than the single session.
Meanwhile, the repeated trial caused a greater increase in free fatty acids
and glycerol, which are released when stored fat is burned, than did the single
trial. Also during the repeated session, levels of epinephrine increased and
levels of insulin decreased much more than during the single session -- a combination
that may have further contributed to fat breakdown.
Current recommendations by The American College of Sports Medicine to exercise
for a duration of 45 to 60 minutes may therefore not be the most effective,
the researchers say. Splitting up a longer exercise session with a rest period
may be more beneficial, helping people to better manage and control their weight.
Scientists in New Zealand are dispelling the common myth that obesity is caused
by “bad genes.” In what is referred to as a breakthrough discovery, scientists from
Auckland University’s Liggins Institute have discovered that genetic pre-disposition
to obesity can be reversed through good nutrition in early childhood. Read more/less...
Their research shows that when a mother is undernourished, her child’s body
is pre-set to cope with a life of scarcity; therefore, the energy-dense, fast-food
diet of the Western world results in children who are likely to become fat.
In laboratory tests, newborn offspring from both well-fed and undernourished
rats were given leptin, a hormone that signals to the body when it has eaten
enough. When they became adults, the long-term effects were measured by looking
at genes that regulate metabolism in the liver. Rats from well-fed mothers reacted
to leptin in the opposite way to those from undernourished mothers.
The researchers urge mothers to eat a more balanced diet (with the right amounts
of protein and vitamins) during pregnancy. However, if the fetus is under-nourished
in the womb, the long-term effects can still be corrected through good nutrition.
What Happens When Your Cholesterol Goes Too Low? - July 2007
People who take statin drugs to lower their cholesterol as much as possible may
have a higher risk of cancer, according to a meta-analysis of over 41,000 patient
records from 23 statin drug trials. Read more/less...
The analysis raises concerns about how low cholesterol levels should actually
go. Researchers found one extra case of cancer per 1,000 patients with the lowest
levels of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, the so-called “bad” cholesterol,
compared to patients with higher LDL levels.
Past studies have found an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease among people
with extra-low cholesterol. Meanwhile, statin drugs may cause damage to the
liver and muscles.
The analysis included records from patients taking statins such as Lipitor and
Zocor, but did not include newer statins such as Crestor and Vytorin.
Statins, the world’s top-selling drugs, are thought to have a beneficial effect
on inflammation in the body, and lowering the risk of heart attack and stroke.
They may also decrease the risk of death from influenza, pneumonia and smoking.
Organic food can now contain almost 1 per cent genetically modified content, thanks
to a new ruling by the EU. Read more/less...
EU ministers voted yesterday to allow a 0.9 per cent limit on genetically modified
organisms (GMOs) in organic food, whilst retaining the 'organic' label and without
a requirement to inform consumers that GMOs are present. Levels below 0.9 per
cent are deemed 'adventitious or technically unavoidable'.
The decision has angered environmental groups, who claim that European governments
will simply take the 0.9 per cent level as an acceptable standard for GMO contamination,
rather than keeping it as a 'buffer' against accidental contamination.
Clare Oxborrow, Friends of the Earth's GM Campaigner, described the situation
as 'completely unacceptable':
'EU Ministers have put the interests of the biotech industry ahead of consumers
who believe that organic food should be produced to strict environmental standards,'
she said. 'Organic farmers will now find it increasingly difficult to protect
their crops from GM.'
Friends of the Earth called for tough, new legislation to protect farmers from
'genetic pollution'.
Source:
The Ecologist Magazine
Juices 'may cut Alzheimer's risk' - September 2006
Fruit juice - The way to ward off Alzheimer's? Drinking fruit and vegetable juices
frequently may significantly cut the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, a study
suggests. US researchers followed almost 2,000 people for up to 10 years - providing
a powerful set of results. They found the risk was 76% lower for those who drank
juice more than three times a week, compared with those who drank it less than once
a week. Read more/less...
The study appears in the American Journal of Medicine.
Alzheimer's is linked to the accumulation of clumps of beta-amyloid protein
in the brain. There is some evidence to suggest that this process may be controlled
by the chemical hydrogen peroxide. Various studies have suggested that polyphenols
- chemicals available in many foods - might disrupt these processes and provide
some protection against Alzheimer's disease by neutralising the effect of damaging
compounds called free radicals.
Fruit and vegetable juices are particularly rich in polyphenols. Lead researcher
Dr Qi Dai, of Vanderbilt University, said: "We found that frequent drinking
of fruit and vegetable juices was associated with a substantially decreased
risk of Alzheimer's disease. "These findings are new and suggest that fruit
and vegetable juices may play an important role in delaying the onset of Alzheimer's
disease."
The research was carried out on Japanese Americans, but researchers said the
findings were applicable to the general population.
Cheap treatment
Harriet Millward, of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said: "Many scientists
believe there is a link between the release of free radicals within the body
and early changes to brain cells in people who ultimately go on to develop Alzheimer's
disease.
"Since fruit and vegetable juices are rich in antioxidants which 'mop up' free
radicals, this interesting piece of research adds weight to this theory."
Dr Millward said previous studies had produced mixed results, and some had suggested
the benefits of fruit and vegetables were short lived. But she said the results
of the latest study were significant because it was long-term, and had followed
a relatively large group of people.
"Diet almost certainly plays a part in every person's Alzheimer's risk - and
diet is a magnet for research because it could offer a relatively inexpensive
way to fight a disease that ruins countless lives and costs the NHS more than
cancer, stroke and heart disease put together."
Clive Ballard, director of research at the Alzheimer's Society, said fruit and
vegetables might also help cut the risk by helping to lower blood pressure,
and keep the blood vessels in good order. Alzheimer's has been linked to poor
blood supply to the brain. His colleague Dr Susanne Sorensen said: "This is
an exciting study as it helps build the case that for taking action whilst still
in good health may reduce the risk of developing the disease in later life.
"We hope GPs will be able to use this information and pass it on to people who
are deemed to be at high risk." "A Mediterranean diet of lots of fruits, vegetables,
legumes, cereals, some fish and alcohol, and little dairy and meat is recommended,
as it is healthy and high in antioxidants.
"It is also important to take exercise and keep mentally active."
Growing evidence suggests
that oxidative damage caused by the β-amyloid peptide in the pathogenesis
of Alzheimer’s disease may be hydrogen peroxide mediated. Many polyphenols,
the most abundant dietary antioxidants, possess stronger neuroprotection
against hydrogen peroxide than antioxidant vitamins.
Methods
We tested whether consumption
of fruit and vegetable juices, containing a high concentration of polyphenols,
decreases the risk of incident probable Alzheimer’s disease in the
Kame Project cohort,
a population-based prospective study of 1836 Japanese Americans in King
County, Washington, who were dementia-free at baseline (1992-1994) and
were followed through 2001.
Results
After adjustment for potential
confounders, the hazard ratio for probable Alzheimer’s disease was 0.24
(95% confidence interval [CI], 0.09-0.61) comparing subjects who drank
juices at least 3 times per week with those who drank less often than
once per week with a hazard ratio of 0.84 (95% CI, 0.31-2.29) for those
drinking juices 1 to 2 times per week (P for trend < .01). This
inverse association tended to be more pronounced among those with an
apolipoprotein Eε-4 allele and those who were not physically
active. Conversely, no association was observed for dietary intake of
vitamins E, C, or β-carotene or tea consumption.
Conclusions
Fruit and vegetable juices
may play an important role in delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease,
particularly among those who are at high risk for the disease. These
results may lead to a new avenue of inquiry in the prevention of Alzheimer’s
disease.
