Mega Vitamin Supplements Found to Slow AIDS
Vitamins Found to Slow AIDS Researchers say effects of vitamins B, C and E are especially important in Africa, where people are often malnourished and can’t get AIDS drugs Jul 1, 2004
Multivitamin supplements can delay the need for anti-retroviral drugs in people with HIV-AIDS, new research has found.
In an eight-year experiment involving 1,078 Kenyan women, scientists found that vitamins significantly slowed the progression of the infectious disease. They say their findings could be especially important in Africa, where the World Health Organization plans to treat three million people with drug cocktails that have saved the lives of thousands of patients in Western countries. “”There is an important role for multivitamins as part of the package for treating AIDS,”" said Dr. Wafai Fawzi, a Harvard University researcher and lead author of a paper published in today’s edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. He and his colleagues say all people infected with HIV-AIDS should consider taking multivitamin supplements before beginning anti-retroviral therapy. Many doctors recommend that anti-retroviral drugs shouldn’t be administered until patients show symptoms of the disease, or the virus reaches relatively high levels of concentration in their blood, or their white-blood-cell count drops. Taking vitamins, the new research shows, means patients can wait longer before taking the drugs, which saves money and reduces the risk of serious side effects.
Researchers have long suspected that multivitamins might slow the progression of HIV-AIDS, and many doctors in North America recommend their patients take them. Vitamins can play a role in boosting the immune system, and a previous experiment in Thailand found that infected adults who received vitamins were less likely to die from the disease.
The experiment with the Kenyan women was designed to come up with more concrete proof, and to compare different vitamins. Researchers gave one group of women a daily pill containing vitamins B, C and E, and a second group was given a sugar pill, or placebo.
The daily multivitamin contained doses of eight to 10 times the amount in an average vitamin pill, but was still within the established safety limits, said Dr. Fawzi. The women who took the multivitamin did much better than the others. Their disease progressed more slowly, and fewer of them died from an AIDS-related cause. Tests showed that the vitamins made their immune systems more active.
There is a chance the findings may not apply to all HIV-AIDS patients, especially those who already eat a healthy diet. The vitamin supplements may have had such an impact in the women from Kenya because they were nutritionally deprived, the researchers said. The researchers say their next step is to figure out whether patients who are already taking anti-retrovirals could also benefit from a multivitamin supplement.
New Large Study: Tea Boosts Body’s Defenses
Study: Tea Boosts the Body’s Defenses
Associated Press, April 22, 2003
By PAUL RECER, AP Science Writer
WASHINGTON - An ordinary cup of tea may be a powerful infection fighter, a study suggests. Researchers report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (news - web sites) that they have found in tea a chemical that boosts the body’s defense fivefold against disease.
Dr. Jack F. Bukowski of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and Harvard Medical School (news - web sites) said Monday that he and his co-authors isolated the chemical in the laboratory and then proved with a group of volunteers that it did protect against germs.
“”We worked out the molecular aspects of this tea component in the test tube and then tested it on a small number of people to see if it actually worked in human beings,”" said Bukowski. The results, he said, gave clear proof that five cups of tea a day sharpened the body’s defenses against disease.
Penny Kris-Etherton, a nutrition specialist at Pennsylvania State University, said Bukowski’s study adds to a growing body of evidence that tea is an effective disease fighter.
“”This is potentially a very significant finding,”" she said. “”We’re seeing multiple benefits from tea.”"
But she said the work needs to be confirmed in a much larger study, involving more people.
In the study, Bukowski and his co-authors isolated from ordinary black tea a substance called L-theanine. He said the substance is found as well in green and oolong tea, which also are processed from traditional tea tree leaves.
Bukowski said L-theanine is broken down in the liver to ethylamine, a molecule that primes the response of an immune blood cell called the gamma-delta T cell.
“”We know from other studies that these gamma-delta T cells in the blood are the first line of defense against many types of bacteria, viral, fungal and parasitic infections,”" he said. “”They even have some anti-tumor activity.”"
The T cells prompt the secretion of interferon, a key part of the body’s chemical defense against infection, Bukowski said.
“”We know from mouse studies that if you boost this part of the immune system it can protect against infection,”" he said.
To further test the finding, the researchers had 11 volunteers drink five cups a day of tea, and 10 others drink coffee. Before the test began, they drew blood samples from all 21 test subjects.
After four weeks, they took more blood from the tea drinkers and then exposed that blood to the bacteria called E-coli. Bukowski said the immune cells in the specimens secreted five times more interferon than did blood cells from the same subjects before the weeks of tea drinking. Blood tests and bacteria challenges showed there was no change in the interferon levels of the coffee drinkers, he said.
Bukowski said it may be possible to further isolate and refine L-theanine from tea and use that as a drug to boost the infection defense of the body.
The health effects of tea have been extensively studied. It has been linked to lower heart disease and cancer risk through the action of flavonoids, a type of antioxidant. Other studies have linked tea to helping combat osteoporosis, the brittle bone disease, and to relieving some allergy symptoms.
Probiotic therapy appears to treat gastrointestinal disease
Probiotic therapy appears to treat gastrointestinal disease
May 20, 2003
A highly concentrated probiotic preparation may be an effective treatment for ulcerative colitis patients who fail to respond to conventional medicine, reported researchers in the US yesterday.
The patented probiotic therapy VSL#3 achieved a combined induced remission and/or response rate of 86 per cent in patients with active mild to moderate ulcerative colitis who were not responding to conventional therapy, according to the research presented at the annual Digestive Disease Week (DDW) meeting in Florida.
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a form of inflammatory bowel disease that causes the gastrointestinal tract to become red, swollen and develop sores that eventually bleed. While the pathogenesis of UC is not fully established, there is evidence to suggest that controlling the balance of the intestinal bacterial flora may be beneficial for these patients.
“”Many ulcerative colitis patients do not respond to conventional treatments and side effects of these medications can be troublesome,”" said lead investigator Dr Richard Fedorak, professor of medicine and director of the division of gastroenterology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. “”These results are meaningful because they demonstrate that adding a probiotic with multiple strains and a high concentration of bacteria to the treatment regimen may have the potential to stop this disease in its tracks and avoid any treatment-related side effects.”"
VSL#3, marketed by VSL Pharmaceuticals, contains numerous strains of bacteria at high concentrations (450 billion).
In the multi-centre (Canada, United States and Italy), open-label study, 30 patients with a recent flare-up of mild to moderate UC not responding to conventional medicines were given four packets of VSL#3 daily (equivalent to 3,600 billion good bacteria) for six weeks. Eligible patients also remained on steady doses of standard UC therapies including mesalamine, oral corticosteroids and azathioprine.
Remission, the primary endpoint, was achieved in 63 per cent of patients, and 23 per cent of study participants experienced an improvement in symptoms for a combined remission/response rate of 86 per cent. (This was determined using the Ulcerative Colitis Clinical Score.) Four patients did not respond to VSL#3, and only one patient demonstrated worsened disease activity, reported the researchers. No adverse biochemical or clinical effects were observed.
VSL#3 has previously been shown to help in the management of serious gastrointestinal disorders. A study published in the May 2003 edition of the journal Gastroenterology reported that VSL#3 is effective in the prevention of pouchitis, a major complication following a common surgical procedure in patients with UC. In an accompanying editorial, Dr Jeffry A. Katz, associate professor of medicine from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, wrote: “”Given the similarity between pouchitis and ulcerative colitis, probiotic therapy could also prove useful in the maintenance treatment of this condition.”"
But Dr Fedorak noted: “”When looking at studies of probiotics in treating certain GI disorders, it’s important to note that different probiotic preparations contain varying amounts of bacterial strains and strengths. We saw positive results with this particular formulation, but the results do not necessarily apply to other probiotics.”"
DDW continues until 22 May 2003 in Orlando, Florida. The meeting showcases approximately 5,000 abstracts and hundreds of lectures on the latest advances in GI research, medicine and technology.
Skin Care Clinical Studies: Evaluation of Activated Zinc Pyrithione
Skin Care™ Clinical Studies: Evaluation of Activated Zinc Pyrithione Abbott Northwestern Hospital/Department of DermatologyCharles E. Crutchfield, et al.Minneapolis, Minnesota/USANo. of patients: 60This therapy represents one of the best advances in the treatment of psoriasis. Dermatological Chair of the University of Medicine of SARATOVSaratov/RUSSIANo. of patients: 30Duration: 14 to 21 daysNo side effects were observed. May be recommended in patients with seborrhea, dandruff and psoriasis and is appropriate for therapeutic use. Dermatological and Venereological Clinic of the State University of Medicine of SiberiaS. G. Milevskaia, Chair, Scientific ProfessorNo. of patients: 58Duration: 14 to 25 daysPositive effects in 95.5% of the treated cases. Good anti-inflammatory effect. No side effects. Disappearance of itches. No irritations. Very good results in dermatitis and neurodermatitis. Centre for the Medical and Social Rehabilitation of Children Affected by AllergodermatitisVilonov 76
Vitamin E Decreases Incidence of Colds in Elderly
Taking a daily vitamin E supplement may protect the elderly from getting colds, suggests a new study, thought to be the first to demonstrate that vitamin E can protect against colds in a real life situation.
The research found nursing home residents supplemented with the vitamin were 20 per cent less likely to get a cold and also had less colds over the study period than a placebo group. “Common colds are frequent and associated with increased morbidity in this age group, and if confirmed, these findings suggest important implications for the well-being of the elderly,” write the researchers in today
Parkinsons
Testosterone Boost May Help Some with Parkinson’s Tue Nov 26,10:46 AM ET By Alison McCook
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Giving extra testosterone to Parkinson’s disease (news - web sites) patients with low levels of the hormone seems to curb some symptoms of the disease, according to preliminary study findings. However, lead author Dr. Michael S. Okun of the University of Florida in Gainesville stressed to Reuters Health that the study did not compare these patients to a similar group given an inactive drug. Consequently, he explained, the results could stem from the so-called “”placebo effect,”" when people on an inactive drug or therapy show an improvement in their symptoms. In order to understand the benefits of a new drug, researchers need to compare it to placebo to gauge the therapy’s true benefit, he said. Nevertheless, the new findings suggest that testosterone may hold promise for these patients, he added. In the current study, published in the November issue of the Archives of Neurology, Okun and his team found that patients given testosterone lost an average of two non-movement related symptoms often seen in men with reduced testosterone levels and Parkinson’s disease. These symptoms include fatigue, energy problems, sexual dysfunction and depression, Okun told Reuters Health. The findings from the current study are bolstered by previous research, which has shown that older men with similar symptoms as a result of a marked drop in testosterone also benefit from supplementation with the hormone. Whether or not these results also apply to men with low testosterone and Parkinson’s had been unclear, the authors note. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder marked by the loss of brain cells that produce dopamine, a chemical key in controlling muscle activity. Some of the classic, movement-related symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include tremor, muscle rigidity and sluggish movements. During the study, Okun and his team gave 10 men with Parkinson’s and low testosterone levels a testosterone gel to rub on the skin of the shoulders, chest, and abdomen once daily, and followed patients for 1 month. The researchers followed 6 of the patients for 2 additional months. Okun and his team found that patients’ testosterone levels increased after using the gel. They also showed an average of six symptoms related to testosterone deficiency at one and three months after starting therapy, a drop from the previous average of eight. In an interview with Reuters Health, Okun cautioned that extra testosterone can worsen congestive heart failure, cause a rash and exacerbate sleeping problems such as sleep apnea, in which people temporarily stop breathing during sleep. “”But under a doctor’s supervision, it’s safe for a vast majority of people,”" he noted. The next step, Okun added, is to determine whether patients with Parkinson’s are more likely to have low levels of testosterone than similarly aged men without the disease. Additional research is also needed to compare people given testosterone gel to those given an inactive gel, to determine the role of the placebo effect in these findings, the researcher said. “”We really think this has implications, so we’re following it up,”" Okun said. SOURCE: Archives of Neurology 2002;59:1750-1753.
Diabetes
33% of Americans Have Pre-Diabetes Syndrome August 27, 2002 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As many as one in three Americans has a condition called insulin resistance syndrome, putting them at high risk of diabetes and heart disease, a panel of doctors said on Tuesday. But diet and exercise can take care of the condition in many, if not most, cases, and a few simple tests can tell doctors and patients who is at most risk, the experts said. In insulin resistance syndrome, also known as metabolic syndrome or syndrome X, a person loses his or her ability to manage insulin effectively. More and more people–children as well as adults–are developing the condition as the population eats more and exercises less. Left untreated, the syndrome can develop into diabetes as well as heart disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver and perhaps some cancers, including colon and ovarian cancer. On Tuesday a committee of experts from four top medical organizations–the American College of Endocrinology, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists ( news - web sites), American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine–issued official guidance on how to diagnose the condition. “”As the prevalence of insulin resistance syndrome has skyrocketed 61% in the last decade, it is crucial that medical professionals have consistent and definitive criteria to assess this serious condition,”" Dr. Daniel Einhorn of the Scripps Whittier Institute for Diabetes in La Jolla, California, and co-chair of the panel, told a news conference. “”We feel that as many as one in three Americans have this,”" Einhorn added in an interview. Einhorn said pediatricians report that 7- to 10-year-old children are developing metabolic syndrome, obesity and type 2 diabetes–once seen only in adults. “”We never saw this before,”" Einhorn said. “”Pediatricians are having to learn about adult medications.”" No single test can identify insulin resistance syndrome, but measurements of weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose tolerance can. One quick check that people can do at home is waist circumference, the experts said–men with 40-inch waists and women with 35-inch waists are at higher risk. Details are available on the Internet at http://www.aace.com. Other indications a person may have insulin resistance syndrome are polycystic ovary syndrome, which Einhorn believes may affect up to one in 10 women. The condition is marked by infertility, excess facial hair and obesity. In addition, there is a skin condition, acanthosis nigricans, linked with the syndrome. What can patients do if diagnosed with insulin resistance? “”It doesn’t require draconian measures,”" Einhorn said. Losing 5% to 10% of total body weight will help a good deal–and studies show that as little as 20 minutes of extra exercise such as brisk walking, 5 days a week, can help most people lose that much weight. It is not necessary to cut out all sweets, he added. And like many doctors, Einhorn does not believe claims that carbohydrates are to blame for obesity. “”It is not any one thing that’s the culprit,”" Einhorn said. “”It’s not just the fast food. It’s not just the pastries. It’s a combination of genetics and the diseases of modern living–obesity and sedentary living.”"
Lutein Confirmed Again to Combat AMD
Lutein Improves Eyesight for AMD Patients, New Study April 8, 2004 Lutein supplements can reverse some of the damage done by ‘dry’ age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most prevalent form of the disease, according to a study out yesterday.
The findings, presented last year at the annual meeting of Arvo but published in a peer-reviewed journal this week, were the first to show actual improvement in several key visual functions among patients with AMD.
The disease is the leading cause of blindness in the western world, affecting an estimated 30 million people worldwide. This number is expected to double by 2030.
Before the LAST study (Lutein Antioxidant Supplementation Trial), the carotenoid lutein and other antioxidants were widely believed to be purely a preventive measure in reducing risk in the onset of AMD among high-risk patients.
The trial showed however that patients who took the lutein supplements experienced improvements in several symptoms, including glare recovery, contrast sensitivity and visual acuity, compared with patients taking the placebo. Patients also experienced a 50 per cent increase in macular pigment density relative to those on placebo.
Lead investigator Stuart Richer, chief of optometry at the North Chicago VA Medical Center and associate professor at the Illinois College of Optometry, said: “”Our findings show that AMD symptoms may be reversed through purified lutein supplementation or a supplement mix of lutein and other antioxidants such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta carotene. By no means a cure for AMD, the study does show improvement among several disease symptoms in AMD patients.”"
The charity AMD Alliance says the results, published in this month’s issue of Optometry — Journal of the American Optometric Association (vol 75, no 4) indicate the need for larger studies involving more participants over a longer period to ascertain more definitive findings.
In the LAST study, 90 AMD patients were supplemented daily with a capsule containing 10mg of lutein, a mixed antioxidant formula, or placebo for 12 months.
“”However, we encourage people with AMD to discuss nutrition strategies with their doctor now and consider whether taking a vitamin supplement containing lutein might be right for them,”" said Gerrard Grace, chair of the organisation.
He explained that we already know from the Age Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) that there is a beneficial effect of supplementation with vitamins C, E, beta-carotene and zinc — all combined in one pill. “”This study demonstrated a 25 per cent reduction in progression of AMD over five years,”" he added.
Lutein is a naturally occurring molecule found in dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale and collard greens but the average American ingests only 1-2 mg of lutein daily.
Previous research has suggested lutein intake fortifies the macula of the eye. The macula filters out blue wavelength light from the sun and artificial light, suppressing the oxidation of retinal cells that can otherwise cause degenerative eye disease.
SupplementSpot has several affordable supplements that contain the required amount of lutein described in this study:
Resistence to Antibiotics on Rise in US
By Serena Gordon HealthScoutNews Reporter FRIDAY, April 19 (HealthScoutNews) — In the wake of a new report that the strep throat germ is now showing significant antibiotic resistance in the United States, many people are wondering if they — or their children — are at risk. They just might be, unless all of us our dependence on antibiotics, says Philip Tierno, director of clinical microbiology at New York University Medical Center and Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City. “”Antibiotic resistance is more prevalent than you’d think,”" Tierno adds. There are two main reasons for it: Overprescription of antibiotics by doctors and the use of antibiotics in livestock, he says.
“”One hundred and fifty million prescriptions are written annually,”" Tierno says. “”Ninety million of those are for antibiotics, and 50 million of those are unnecessary.”" Many antibiotic prescriptions are written for sore throats, but only a small percentage of them are caused by Group A streptococci bacteria, which causes strep throat. The germ can also cause sinus, ear and skin infections. Left untreated, strep can progress into scarlet fever or the more serious rheumatic fever, with potentially fatal consequences. Young children are especially vulnerable to such complications. Strep throat is commonly treated with antibiotics, such as penicillin, or erythromycin for those who are allergic to penicillin. In yesterday’s New England Journal of Medicine report, researchers from Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh studied a group of 100 area school children from kindergarten through eighth grade. They found that Group A streptococci was resistant to erythromycin in 48 percent of the throat cultures taken between October 2000 and May 2001. According to the researchers, this is the first time such a high level of resistance to erythromycin has been found in the United States. Similarly high levels of resistance have been reported in other countries, however, Tierno says. In Japan and Finland, he says, resistance to Group A strep has been reported at levels exceeding 50 percent. The good news, according to Tierno, is that in Japan the rate of resistance has fallen as health officials there decreased their use of erythromycin-based antibiotics. By not using these drugs, Tierno explains, the germs become vulnerable to them again. The Pittsburgh researchers followed the children for three years, and during the first two years, while they did find cases of strep, they found no signs of antibiotic resistance. It wasn’t until the third year that the antibiotic-resistant strain appeared. Tierno says this finding clearly points to overuse of antibiotics. “”What causes drug resistance is the inappropriate use of antibiotics by physicians,”" he says. But patients are partly to blame as well, he adds, because they push for inappropriate prescriptions when they’re ill. Dr. James Musser is chief of the Laboratory of Human Bacterial Pathogenesis at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Hamilton, Mont. He says, “”From a national perspective, we need to be very concerned about increasing antibiotic resistance in any pathogen.”" And, he adds, we need a study that looks at a greater geographical area to assess how widespread the problem [uncovered in Pittsburgh] might be. In the meantime, he says, “”It’s important for patients to realize that not every upper-respiratory infection is of bacterial origin and to listen closely to the advice of the treating physician.”" That means patients shouldn’t badger their doctor for antibiotics unless they’re deemed necessary.
Green Tea Could Halt Bladder Cancer
Green Tea Could Halt Bladder Cancer August 14, 2003
The active ingredient in green tea, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), has been found to block the growth of bladder tumours in rats.
EGCG is increasingly regarded as an active anti-cancer agent, although most trials study its power in tea consumption. In a previous study, drinking more than five cups per day seemed to protect against the cancer.
The new study, published in the September issue of the Journal of Urology, investigated its effects when injected directly into the bladder.
Lead author Dr J. Karl Kemberling and colleagues, from the Medical College of Ohio in Toledo, US identified a dose of the green tea chemical that could kill all cancer cells after two hours of incubation.
The authors then tested EGCG on rats with tumour cells implanted in their bladders. Thirty minutes after tumour cells were injected, they treated half the rats with EGCG. The others were not treated.
Sixty-four per cent of animals treated with EGCG were free of tumours when examined three weeks later, the researchers reported, while all of the untreated animals showed tumour growth.
Green tea’s anti-cancer effects have been attributed to its high antioxidant content, but researchers recently reported that it could instead be a result of the chemicals shutting down the aryl hydrocarbon (AH) receptor in cancerous cells.