Vitamins and Good Sense

By Bernadine Healy M.D.
Posted 3/4/07


Vitamin studies always seem to stir controversy, but certainly not visions of death. On that score, last week's report on antioxidant vitamins, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, was a doozy. The researchers concluded that people taking the antioxidants vitamins A, its precursor beta carotene, and vitamin E, for whatever reason, at whatever dose, and for however long, may be putting their lives in jeopardy. But before you toss out your vitamin pills, let's examine this alarmist study a little bit closer.

Researchers from Copenhagen University Hospital set out to determine whether the antioxidant supplements lengthen one's life. That's difficult to answer, since most people taking vitamins are healthy. So the researchers identified antioxidant clinical trials large and small, as long as they reported at least one death. Any death counted, whether from heart disease or cancer, kidney failure or hip fractures, murders or suicides. Out of 747 antioxidant trials reviewed, 68 met the bill. Then, in what is called a meta-analysis, the 68 trials were combined into what is effectively one study. Read more...

Detoxify, Detox and cleanse, Toxins cleanse

Chitosan Promotes Weight and Fat Loss

The popular fiber supplement chitosan helps reduce body weight and body fat, according to a recent double-blind, placebo-controlled study.*

One-hundred-fifty overweight men and women were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The treatment group was given 3 grams of chitosan daily along with a self-monitored behavior-modification program; a placebo group received an inactive supplement and the same behavioral program; and a control group followed any program of their choosing. Body composition, bone density, and blood chemistry were measured at the trial's onset and 60 days later.

Those who took chitosan lost an average of 2.8 pounds, compared to a loss of 0.6 pounds in the placebo group and a gain of 0.8 pounds in the control group. The chitosan group also had greater reductions in fat percentage and fat mass than the placebo group, along with an improvement in body composition. Read more...

Immunice for Immune Support

Pesticides may be a leading cause of major diseases

Chronic illness is widespread in many industrialized nations like the U.S., and more studies than ever are linking this disease epidemic to pesticide exposure. According to a new database designed to catalog these studies, pesticides are linked to cancer, reproductive dysfunction, diabetes, autism, asthma, birth defects, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases and more.

Beyond Pesticides, an environmental and public health group, decided to put together the Pesticide-Induced Diseases Database to raise awareness about the dangers of pesticides and to urge policy changes to get these chemicals removed from use.

"A read through of the scientific literature on pesticides and major preventable diseases afflicting us in the 21st century suggests that one of the first responses called for is an all out effort to stop using toxic pesticides," explained Jay Feldmen, executive director of Beyond Pesticides. Read more...

Joint symptoms

Sleep Problems May Complicate Many Illnesses

Sleep is such a crucial aspect of health that it can have an adverse impact on some very serious diseases such as:

Parkinson disease (PD)
Alzheimer disease (AD)
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Gastrointestinal tract disorders
Kidney disease
Behavioral problems in children
This is all according to a report in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The report is based on studies presented at annual joint meeting of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society.

"Many medical illnesses disrupt sleep and impair alertness. Moreover, sleep disorders may coexist with medical disorders in people of all ages. Improving sleep problems in the medically ill, sleep specialists say, may enhance patients' overall health and quality of life," says Lynne Lamberg of JAMA.

Sleep and Problems in Children Read more...

Cleansing the body

New Blood Test for Colon Cancer Developed

(HealthDay News) -- Seeking to increase screenings for colorectal cancer, scientists say they have developed an inexpensive and effective method that uses less than one milliliter (mL) of a patient's blood.

In trials, the new approach -- referred to as a microRNA -- has successfully detected disease in patients already diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

Next, the research team will launch screening tests among a larger group of patients who show symptoms of the disease. These patients will also undergo colonoscopies, which will be used to confirm the new diagnostic tool's effectiveness.

"Our test has the potential to be safe, cheap, robust, accurate and of little or no inconvenience to the individual, and could, therefore, easily be integrated into national screening programs as part of an annual checkup," study author Dr. Soren Jensby Nielsen, a scientific manager with Denmark-based Exiqon A/S, said in a news release from the American Association for Cancer Research. Read more...

Immunice for Immune Support

Constipation May Lead to Other Problems

(HealthDay News) -- A very private health problem, it turns out, is associated with potentially significant and costly complications.

In a review of the scientific evidence, researchers found that constipation might lead to or boost the risk for more serious complications such as hemorrhoids, anal fissures, fecal incontinence, colonic conditions and urologic disorders.

Dr. Nicholas J. Talley, chairman of internal medicine at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, said that few people appreciate the seriousness of constipation because symptoms can vary greatly, from mild to severe.

"Most people have mild intermittent symptoms, and they should not worry, although some do become excessively concerned," said Talley, who is also a professor of medicine and epidemiology at Mayo's College of Medicine. "Others suffer in silence, because it's embarrassing to talk about your bowels." Read more...

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