prostatecancer
Preventing Prostate Cancer With Vitamins Email story to a friend By Lori Lyle By 2006, more than 32,000 men will have taken part in a prostate cancer study that started a year ago. It’s known as the “”select”" study — which stands for Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial. Doctors are asking men to take those two very common vitamins to see if they can help prevent prostate cancer. Lori Lyle reports. As a pharmacist, Ken Lambert has known for years that there are benefits to be gained by taking vitamins and supplements. What he didn’t know was that two very common supplements — Selenium and Vitamin E could help him change the course of his family history. Three of his older brothers have had prostate cancer, so Ken volunteered to see if these supplements could help protect him. Doctors discovered that these two supplements may help prevent prostate cancer almost by accident. Two studies in the 1990s tested their effects on skin and lung cancers.. It didn’t appear to help patients in either of those studies; however, researchers noted a striking reduction in prostate cancer risk. Dr. Steven Clinton says the results of those studies led to this prostate study, the largest ever in prostate cancer. While some 30,000 men will be involved, it is especially important to find African Americans because, according to Dr. Clinton, “”prostate cancer affects African American men at almost double the rate.”" It’s not know exactly why. This study is designed to answer some of those questions, not just for minorities, but for all men. It may suggest that one way to help prevent the disease may have been under our noses all along. If you’re a man over the age of 50 without prostate cancer, you may be able to volunteer for the study. For more information, call 1-800-4-CANCER. Online Reporter: Lori Lyle
Fructose Accelerates Obesity
Fructose Sweetners May Be Direct Cause of Obesity July 29, 2005 A new study confirms earlier ones finding that high consumption of soft drinks and other sweetened beverages contributes to obesity. But this study, conducted in mice, suggests that one form of natural sweetener — fructose — may be especially likely to encourage weight gain.
In the study, researchers at the University of Cincinnati allowed mice to freely consume either plain water or fructose-sweetened water and soft drinks.
The mice that drank the fructose-sweetened water and soft drinks gained weight, even though they took in fewer calories from solid food.
By the end of the study, the mice that consumed fructose-sweetened beverages had 90 percent more body fat than the mice that consumed water only.
The findings suggest that the total amount of calories consumed when someone includes fructose in their diets may not be the only cause of weight gain. Consuming fructose may actually affect metabolism in a way that leads to more fat storage, at least in mice, the researchers said.
“”Our study shows how fat mass increases as a direct consequence of soft drink consumption,”" study author Dr. Matthias Tschop, associate professor in the University of Cincinnati’s psychiatry department and a member of the Obesity Research Center at the university’s Genome Research Institute, said in a prepared statement.
“”We were surprised to see that mice actually ate less when exposed to fructose-sweetened beverages, and therefore didn’t consume more overall calories. Nevertheless, they gained significantly more body fat within a few weeks,”" Tschop said.
The study appears in the July issue of the journal Obesity Research.
Low Folate Levels Linked to Bladder & Other Cancers
Folate Necessary to Fight Cancer risk
9/4/2003
Individuals who are especially susceptible to genetic damage and who do not eat enough dietary folate are almost three times as likely to develop bladder cancer as those who eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and who have efficient capacity to repair DNA damage, say researchers in the US. The study, published in the Proceedings for the 2003 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, confirms a connection between lower intake of dietary folate and bladder cancer.
“”The findings may have important implications for cancer prevention in susceptible populations,”" said Matthew Schabath, a predoctoral researcher working in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
He added that the ability to fix errant changes in DNA is of critical importance to maintain normal genetic structure, and this capability varies within the population.
“”A good prevention practice would be to limit exposure to DNA damaging agents (of which cigarette smoking is the most relevant for bladder cancer) and to eat foods containing folates and folic acid, such as fruits, vegetables, and fortified cereal grains, or take a daily supplement of folic acid, to reduce their risk of developing bladder cancer,”" said Schabath.
Folic acid deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies in developed countries. Many cereals are now fortified with folate, although fortification of flour with folic acid has not been implemented in Europe, unlike the US.
Folate itself is crucial to DNA synthesis and repair, Schabath said, so people who do not eat enough folate and who have inherited genetic instability are at much greater risk, he explained.
Low intake of folate has already been associated with a number of cancers, including lung, cervical, colorectal, oesophageal, brain, pancreatic and breast cancers, said Schabath.
In the study, led by Dr Xifeng Wu from the Department of Epidemiology, Schabath and his research colleagues studied 272 patients newly diagnosed with bladder cancer and a control group of 257 healthy volunteers to compare folate intake from the diet and evidence of genetic instability. All of the participants were interviewed using a detailed food questionnaire.
The survey showed that the control group had a much higher intake of folate than did patients. Researchers then drew blood samples to check which variants of four different DNA repair genes study participants had inherited. Three of the genes help eliminate chemicals that become incorporated into DNA because of external damage to a cell, such as by cigarette smoking, and the other gene repairs single errant base pair damage.
They also measured the level of genetic instability in a laboratory culture test by ‘challenging’ the blood samples with gamma radiation and with a carcinogenic metabolite associated with cigarette smoke to see if the cells could efficiently repair cell DNA damage.
The conclusions support previous research showing the role of folate-rich foods in overall health.
NATTOKINASE: Circulatory, Clot Preventing Japanese Wonder
Nattokinase and Serrapeptase: Nature
Colon Cancer Screening Saves Lives Sat
Colon Cancer Screening Saves Lives March 11, 2006 March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and the American Cancer Society say’s there’s no better time to remind Americans that the disease is the third biggest cancer killer — and largely preventable. Colorectal malignancies account for 10 percent of all U.S. cancer cases, the society notes. About 150,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year, and 55,000 will die of the disease. That death toll could be cut in half if people followed the society’s testing recommendations for colorectal cancer. Testing is critical, because early colorectal cancer often has no symptoms. Testing is especially important for people aged 50 and older because they account for more than 90 percent of colorectal cancer cases. When detected at an early stage, patients with colorectal tumors have a 90 percent survival rate. Unfortunately, low screening rates mean that just 39 percent of these cancers are diagnosed at an early stage. “”Many people 50 and older do not know they are at risk and that they need to be screened,”" Dr. Carolyn D. Runowicz, national volunteer president of the American Cancer Society, said in a prepared statement. “”If we can increase awareness and compliance to the level we’ve achieved with the Pap test and the mammogram, we will have a tremendous opportunity to save thousands of lives through prevention and early detection of colon cancer,”" she said. As part of its efforts to increase colorectal cancer screening rates, the society will run a nationwide advertising campaign that emphasizes the need to start screening at age 50. The ads will encourage people to contact the society for a free colorectal cancer information kit, which includes a brochure that explains the benefits of screening and questions to ask your doctor. The kit also includes a DVD that explains the various colon cancer tests. More information For more on colorectal cancer screening, head to the American Cancer Society.
“Probiotics Reduce Cold, Fever Duration
Probiotic Multivitamin Reduces Cold Symptoms, Duration September 14, 2005 Taking probiotic supplements or foods could shorten the duration of colds and reduce the severity of symptoms, shows new research from Germany.
In a randomized, double-blind study on almost 500 adults, people that took daily vitamins and minerals with probiotic bacteria for at least three months reported that colds lasted almost two days less than the average nine days suffered by a group taking only vitamins and minerals.
The volunteers, who recorded their symptoms when they had a cold on a daily basis, also reported that headaches, coughing and sneezing, and fever were less severe if they were taking the probiotic supplement
The research, presented this week at the European Influenza Conference in Malta, shows that symptoms were down by nearly a quarter and the time spent with a fever was cut from 24 hours to six.
The findings are likely to boost the probiotics market, already worth around 2 billion a year in the US. Most products are however promoted for improving gut health. The new study will play a significant role in building the body of evidence demonstrating the bacteria’s benefits to the immune system.
Probiotic bacteria are thought to activate certain defence cells in the immune system, particularly the T cells. This mechanism is supported by the new trial in which the researchers, led by Dr Michael de Vrese at the Federal Research Centre of Nutrition and Food in Kiel, observed higher levels of cytotoxic plus T suppressor cells (CD8+) and T helper cells (CD4+) in a subsample of the probiotic group after just two weeks of supplementation.
The bacteria found in the tested probiotics include Lactobacillus gasseri PA 16/8, Bifidobacterium longum SP 07/3 and B. bifidum MF 20/5.
The study’s findings are reported in the August issue of Clinical Nutrition (vol 24, issue 4, pp481-91).
Polyphenols in Tea and Wine Fight Growth of Breast Cancer Cells
Polyphenols Fight Growth of Breast Cancer Cells April 19, 2004 Three different polyphenols, compounds found in wine, beer and tea, appear to significantly decrease breast cancer cells, according to new research from Portugal, which goes against previous findings showing that alcohol raises the risk of breast cancer.
Numerous experiments have shown that certain polyphenols, mainly flavonoids, can protect against heart disease and have anticancer, antiviral and antiallergic properties.
In one of the most well known examples, consumption of red wine, which contains the polyphenol resveratrol, has been associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
But researchers from the Universidade do Porto, Portugal found that such phenolic compounds could also fight breast cancer, the most common cancer among women in the European Union. Approximately one woman in 10 in Europe will develop breast cancer at some point in her life, according to the European Parliament’s Directorate-General for Research.
They investigated the effect of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), xanthohumol and resveratrol, substances present in significant concentrations in tea, beer and red wine, respectively, on the growth of a human breast cancer cell line, MCF-7.
All three polyphenolic compounds tested showed a significant effect, decreasing breast cancer cells
Zinc Wards Off Infections
Zinc Supplements Cut Infections, Especially in Elderly May 1, 2007 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
A daily zinc supplement significantly reduces infections in the elderly, says a new trial from the US that may have implications for boosting “”healthy ageing”".
The elderly currently make up 10 per cent of the global population - a figure that is expected to double by 2050, placing increasing demands on public health systems and medical and social services. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, by researchers from Wayne State University School of Medicine and the University of Michigan, suggests that zinc supplements may reduce the incidence of infections, and may also improve the overall antioxidant status of this section of the population. Lead researcher Ananda Prasad and her collaborators recruited 50 healthy subjects from both sexes (age range 55 to 87) and randomly assigned them to receive either a daily supplement of zinc in the form of zinc gluconate providing 45 mg of elemental zinc per day, or placebo for 12 months. At the start of the study, the researchers report that the older subjects generally had significantly lower blood zinc levels and higher levels of oxidative stress than their younger counterparts. Zinc is one of the most plentiful trace elements in the body, second only to iron. It mediates many physiological functions and is believed to be essential for maintaining a healthy immune system. At the end of one year of supplementation the number of infections recorded in the zinc supplemented group was found to have significantly decreased, compared to placebo. Blood samples showed that levels of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), a marker for inflammation, and oxidative stress markers were also reduced in the zinc-supplemented subjects. “”After zinc supplementation, the incidence of infections was significantly lower, plasma zinc was significantly higher, and generation of tumour necrosis factor-alpha and oxidative stress markers was significantly lower in the zinc-supplemented than in the placebo group,”" concluded the researchers in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. A report published this week by the International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA) highlighted the need for action in addressing nutrition in the elderly. Report author Professor David Richardson told NutraIngredients.com that as people age their energy intake declines, making it much more difficult to ensure the micronutrient intake of diet as a whole. Such a deficit in micronutrient intake offers an opportunity for food supplements, he said. Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition March 2007, Volume 85, Number 3, Pages 837-844 “”Zinc supplementation decreases incidence of infections in the elderly: effect of zinc on generation of cytokines and oxidative stress”" Authors: A.S. Prasad, F.W.J. Beck, B. Bao, J.T. Fitzgerald, D.C. Snell, J.D. Steinberg and L.J. Cardozo
Western Diet Promotes Metabolic Syndrome
Western Diet Promotes Metabolic Syndrome February 8, 2008
The high calorie, low fibre dietary pattern associated with the Western diet is associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, says new research from the US The study, published in the journal Circulation, adds to previous studies on that point the finger at the highly processed foods and meats consumed in the Western diet in relation to a range of conditions, from obesity to colorectal cancer. According to researchers from the University of Minnesota and the University of North Carolina, “”the role of diet in the origin of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is not well understood; thus, we sought to evaluate the relationship between incident MetS and dietary intake.”" Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a condition characterised by central obesity, hypertension, and disturbed glucose and insulin metabolism. The syndrome has been linked to increased risks of both type 2 diabetes and CVD. Fifteen per cent of adult Europeans are estimated to be affected by MetS, while the US statistic is estimated to be a whopping 32 per cent. Obesity is established to be the main risk factor for MetS Pamela Lutsey and co-workers analysed data from 9514 subjects aged between 45 and 64 participating in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. The subjects completed a 66-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to semi-quantify dietary intakes. According to the intake of 32 food groups, the participants’ diets were classified according to their adherence to a “”Western”" or “”prudent”" dietary pattern. The researchers followed the subjects over nine years, during which 3,782 cases of MetS were identified. Lutsey and co-workers state: “”Consumption of a Western dietary pattern was adversely associated with incident MetS.”" When the researchers adjusted the results to account for the intake of meat, dairy, fruits and vegetables, refined grains, and whole grains, they found that fried foods, diet soft drinks, and meat consumption were also linked to an increase in the risk of developing MetS. On the other hand, an increase in the consumption of dairy products was found to be beneficial. Moreover, contrary to other studies, no benefits were observed for fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole grains, refined grains, or coffee. “”These prospective findings suggest that consumption of a Western dietary pattern, meat, and fried foods promotes the incidence of MetS, whereas dairy consumption provides some protection,”" wrote the researchers. “”The diet soda association was not hypothesized and deserves further study,”" they added. The Western dietary pattern has also been blamed by some for the obesity epidemic, particularly in children. Indeed, in August US paediatrician Robert Lustig, MD, from the University of California, San Francisco said that the “”toxic environment”" of Western diets causes hormonal imbalances that encourage overeating. Source: Circulation Published online ahead of print, 22 January 2008, doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.107.716159 “”Dietary Intake and the Development of the Metabolic Syndrome. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study”" Authors: P.L. Lutsey, L.M. Steffen, J. Stevens
Resveratrol Helps The Heart Says New University Study
Resveratrol Keeps Hearts Young
June 4, 2008
Resveratrol, A natural compound found in red wine, may protect the heart against the effects of the aging process, researchers said on Tuesday.
In their study, mice were given a diet supplemented with the compound known as resveratrol starting at their equivalent of middle age until old age. These mice experienced changes in their gene activity related to aging in a way very similar to mice that were placed on a so-called calorie restriction diet that slows the aging process by greatly cutting dietary energy intake. Most striking was how the resveratrol, like calorie restriction, blocked the decline in heart function typically associated with aging, according to Tomas Prolla, a University of Wisconsin professor of genetics who helped lead the study. Much as Spaniard Juan Ponce de Leon once searched for the mythical fountain of youth, researchers now are seeking ways to extend the quality and length of human life. In some studies, animals given a diet with greatly reduced caloric intake have lived longer than animals with normal diets. But perpetual hunger is a steep price to pay for greater longevity, some researchers say. Resveratrol, found in abundance in grapes and in red wine, has drawn a lot of interest from scientists and some companies, including GlaxoSmithKline, which in April said it would pay $720 million to buy Sirtris Pharmaceuticals Inc, a company that is developing drugs that mimic the effects of resveratrol. Some studies have shown that in high doses, resveratrol extended the life span of fruit flies and worms and prevented early death in mice fed a high-fat diet. In this study, mice were given relatively low doses compared to the earlier research, and still experienced important aging-related benefits, the researchers said. The researchers began giving the resveratrol diet to the mice when they were 14 months old — their middle age — and followed the animals until they were about 30 months old. The researchers then conducted tests on cardiac function and on gene activity related to aging. “”Resveratrol at low doses can retard some aspects of the aging process, including heart aging, and it may do so by mimicking some of the effects of caloric restriction, which is known to retard aging in several tissues and extend life span,”" added Prolla, whose study was published in the scientific journal PLoS ONE. Using a method that permits simultaneous analysis of thousands of genes at the same time, the researchers found a huge overlap in the genes whose activity were changed by resveratrol and caloric restriction. They looked at the heart, brain and muscles, and said that the effect of resveratrol was strongest in the heart but did prevent some aging-related changes in the other tissues. Just because mice had these benefits does not mean people also would, although Prolla said, “”I think there’s a high likelihood that our findings are applicable to humans.”" He said he expected to see a lot of studies in the coming years on the effects of resveratrol supplementation in people.