Health News Tidbits –
March 2006
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Drugs/Meds
Dietary Supplements
Food/Diet
Lifestyle
Public Health
Vitamin D may inhibit prostate cancer growth -
Vitamin D can slow down the spread of prostate cancer by limiting the activity of certain enzymes, US and Taiwanese researchers report.
The in vitro study, reported in the journal Carcinogenesis (Vol. 27, pp. 32-42), showed that vitamin D, in the form of the highly active 1alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-VD), inhibited the function of protease enzymes that are involved in tumour invasion. The body of evidence for the benefits of vitamin D against prostate cancer is rapidly growing, but the scientists do not recommend taking high doses of the vitamin warning against increased calcium blood levels and kidney problems.
Saw Palmetto may not reduce BPH -
According to a small 225 participant study that appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine, saw palmetto did not reduce moderate-severe symptoms
associated with an enlarged prostate. This goes against results from more than 20 studies that have shown promising findings. Saw palmetto had no side effects or safety issues throughout the study.
Bonnie - while this is a study to keep a eye on, it is way too early to write-off saw palmetto. I have prescribed it successfully for years for treatment of mild symptoms and as a preventative. Researchers should also increase the dosage in future studies for moderate to severe symptoms because 160 mg is considered a pretty low dose.
Comments on GAIT (Glucosamine/Chondroitin Intervention Trial) -
Despite the mostly negative headlines on television stations and in newspapers, let us sort through the results tactfully. In fact, if you read most of the quotes from physician's in these reports, they are pleased by the results and see no reason not to keep recommending glucosamine/chondroitin.
Nevertheless, here are the exact words from The New England Journal of Medicine's study.
Results The mean age of the patients was 59 years, and 64 percent were women. Overall, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate were not significantly better than placebo in reducing knee pain by 20 percent. As compared with the rate of response to placebo (60.1 percent), the rate of response to glucosamine was 3.9 percentage points higher, the rate of response to chondroitin sulfate was 5.3 percentage points higher, and the rate of response to combined treatment was 6.5 percentage points higher. The rate of response in the celecoxib control group was 10.0 percentage points higher than that in the placebo control group. For patients with moderate-to-severe pain at baseline, the rate of response was significantly higher with combined therapy than with placebo (79.2 percent vs. 54.3 percent). Adverse events were mild, infrequent, and evenly distributed among the groups.
When you read the fine point, you see that glucosamine/chondroitin was quite effective (25% reduction) for the group that is supposed to be taking them, those with moderate to severe arthritis pain. We rarely recommend glucosamine/chondrotin as a preventive or first option for reducing mild arthritis pain. It can be more easily remedied with omega-3 fish oil and dietary modification. Moderate to severe pain usually means that there is significant degradation of joints and cartilage. Glucosamine and chondroitin have shown to help repair and minimize further degradation of the joints and cartilage. Even though the target was 20% for all participants, we are not surprised that those with mild arthritis showed only single digit improvements. What is more shocking is that celecoxib (Celebrex), whose family of drugs have come under scrutiny over the last year, showed only a 10% improvement.
As we have said many times, glucosamine/chondroitin is not for everyone. It should only be used for those with moderate to severe arthritis pain. We have many clients who cannot tolerate
glucosamine/chondroitin because of allergy to shellfish, sensitivity to sulfur derivatives, and its acidic nature. There are other first line therapies for mild arthritis pain.
Bonnie and Steve.
Drugs/Meds -
Babies go through antidepressant withdrawal too -
When pregnant women take anti-depressants, their newborns are likely to feel symptoms of withdrawal, the second negative study published on antidepressants in a week. Last week's New England Journal of Medicine study showed that babies of mothers who took antidepressants during pregnancy had six times the risk of a rare but life-threatening lung problem.
Researchers at the Children's Medical Center of Israel found that nearly one-third of 60 infants whose mothers had taken anti-depressants while pregnant had "neonatal abstinence symptoms," which include high-pitched crying, tremors, and disturbed sleep. Children of mothers who were not taking the anti-depressants did not experience such symptoms.
Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, February 2006
We smell a rat -
In the never ending power struggle between government oversight over Big Pahrma, former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Lester M. Crawford, whose sudden resignation last fall after less than three months in office remains a mystery, has joined a lobbying firm that specializes in food and drug issues. Crawford is listed as "senior counsel" to the firm Policy Directions Inc. Among the companies and organizations listed as clients are Altria Group Inc. (formerly Philip Morris Companies), Merck & Co. Inc., the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA,) the Grocery Manufacturers of America and the American Feed Industry Association.
When he resigned in September, Crawford said simply that it was time for someone else to lead the agency. Sens. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) have asked the Department of Health and Human Services inspector general to look into whether Crawford resigned because of an undisclosed financial conflict of interest. Crawford is barred from lobbying former colleagues at the FDA for a year, but he can give clients strategic advice about food and drug issues and can lobby members of Congress.
Steve - hmmm...a joke? No. Unfortunately it happens all the time. Ah, Washington politics.
Feds recommend warnings on ADHD drugs -
Federal science advisers voted narrowly Thursday to recommend the most serious type of warning labels for Ritalin and other stimulants that are used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The 8-7 vote, with one abstention, by the Food and Drug Administration committee was to recommend adding "black box" safety warnings to ADHD drugs. Doctors prescribe the increasingly popular drugs to about 2 million children and 1 million adults a month. The FDA isn't required to follow the recommendations of its advisory committees but typically does. The agency's own data suggested a link between the drugs and an increased risk of sudden death and serious cardiovascular problems, including heart attacks. A federal health official said Thursday that there was a strong possibility the drugs may be linked to the deaths of 25 people. The deaths occurred between 1999 and 2003, according to an FDA report. Nineteen of them involved children. The report also detailed 54 cases of serious cardiovascular problems, including heart attack, stroke, hypertension, palpitations and arrhythmia, in adults and children being treated with ADHD drugs. Some of these patients had pre-existing heart conditions or hypertension.
Courteys AP
Food/Diet -
Mediterranean diet helps keep the weight off -
People who eat a traditional Mediterranean diet are 60 per cent less likely to be obese, Greek researchers have said.
The diet, rich in cereals, fruits, legumes and whole grains, fish and olive oil, has been linked to longer life, less heart disease, and protection against some cancers. The diet’s main nutritional components include beta-carotene, vitamin C, tocopherols, polyphenols, and essential minerals. The cross-sectional study surveyed the diet of 1514 men and 1528 women with an average age of 45. The diets were evaluated using a self-administered, validated food frequency questionnaire. Daily or weekly intake of 156 different foods was reported, along with alcohol consumption and physical activity. “Greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a 51 per cent lower odds of being obese and a 59 per cent lower odds of having central obesity,” wrote lead author Demosthenes Panagiotakos in the journal
Nutrition.
Alternative sweetener scores -
We rate the hottest sweeteners on the market. You may find these names in food products as well as tabletop sugar alternatives. This is not a complete list, mostly what you will see in various health foods. Aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin are not listed because we have been very outspoken with our distaste for these substances.
Approve
Inulin and oligofructose - natural dietary fibers extracted from the chicory root. Some are sensitive to chicory, but otherwise, a safe ingredient.
Stevia - we have loved stevia for years as a tabletop sugar alternative; it has a great safety record with our clients; it also helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels
Palatinose - derived from the sugar beet, then is treated with microbial enzymes; it is very low glycemic and kind to teeth
Xylitol - dervied from corn, which rules this out for many; however, is very safe, helpful in preventing tooth decay, and can be used in a wide variety of products; must be eaten in moderation because it may create intestinal disturbance
Disapprove
Isomalt - a sugar alcohol that can create intestinal disturbances
Shugr - a sweetener blend (popular trend at the moment) of erythritol, maltodextrin, tagatose, and sucralose. A house of horrors!
Sunett - artificial sweetener blend. Anything that has a lng shelf-life and does not degrade over time scares us.
Tagatose - natural sweetener usually derived from milk and carries a high pH.
Bonnie and Steve
Rev your metabolism with lean protein -
By Sally Squires
Special to The LA Times
February 20, 2006
The weight loss world is full of claims, rarely proven, that some pill or potion can help "burn calories while you sleep." But a recent study reports that this may, in fact, be possible — simply by eating more lean protein.
Dutch researchers have reported for the first time that consuming nearly a third of one's daily calories as lean protein — for example, lean meats or poultry without the skin — revs up a person's metabolism during sleep. And the benefits aren't just nocturnal. The researchers also found that higher protein intake boosted the burning of calories and fat during the day.
Plus, when the study's participants, who were all women of healthy weight, ate more protein, they said they felt fuller, more satisfied and less hungry than when they consumed a diet with the typical amount of protein, about 10% of calories.
The findings suggest that adding lean protein to your daily fare "enables you to reach the same level of satiety that you are used to with about 80% of your normal energy intake," notes the study's lead author, Margriet Westerterp-Plantenga, an associate professor of human biology at the University of Maastricht, the Netherlands. "That means you can eat about 20% less and still have the same satiety…. It's a very easy way to ingest" fewer calories without feeling hungry all the time.
This is not the first study to reveal protein's satiating effects. The same research team found similar results in 1999, but during waking hours. A number of other researchers also report evidence of protein's satiating and calorie-burning properties.
What gives protein its caloric edge? It's more difficult for the body to metabolize protein than fat or carbohydrates.
The body also doesn't store protein as efficiently as it does carbohydrates or fat. So protein is more likely to be burned, a process called thermogenesis. That in turn requires more oxygen and helps you feel satisfied in the hours after eating, Westerterp-Plantenga says.
But the latest findings don't mean it's time to dust off those high-protein, low-carb diet books. The protein-heavy Atkins diet included high fat and in some phases eliminated most fruit and vegetables.
The current study limited fat to about 30% of daily calories, and included 40% of calories as healthy carbohydrates, including fruit and vegetables.
Bonnie and Steve - Just as The Obesity Society discovered late last year, research starting to pile up regarding the importance of at least 30% lean protein in your daily diet. Did the ratios of this study seem familiar? Yes, because, once again, it mirrors our Circle of Health Food Chart exactly!
Doubts cast over value of low calorie sweeteners -
A lack of convincing evidence means that firm conclusions on the role of artificial sweeteners in weight loss cannot yet be made, according to a scientist.
Professor David Benton of the University of Wales, Swansea, conducted a review of the scientific evidence looking at the effect of artificial sweeteners in weight control and energy intake. Publishing his findings in Nutrition Research Reviews, he concluded that there would appear to be little long-term benefit for people of normal body weight. It is widely believed that replacing sugars with artificial sweeteners can help reduce calorie intake and aid weight loss. As a result, sales of foods and drinks sweetened with artificially sweeteners are at an all time high. This would appear to be just the tip of the iceberg as more and more artificially sweetened products are continually hitting the shelves. But if Benton is correct, then this low-calorie craze could end up having little or no impact on the current obesity crisis.
Courtesy of nutraingredients.com
Declining mineral levels in foods suggest potential crisis -
According to research published by the UK Food Commission this month, food mineral content studied in 1940 compared to 2002 show a stark change for the worse.
For example, the iron content in 15 varieties of meat had decreased on average 47%, with some showing a decline as high as 80%. The iron content in milk had dropped over 60%.
Mineral loss was seen across the board, including crucial nutrients like magnesium, zinc, calcium, and copper. One would need to eat 4 carrots now to get the same magnesium content as one carrot in 1940.
Intensive farming on exhausted land and manufacturing/processing methods appear to be two likely causes of the mineral decline. The food industry is under intense pressure to produce cheap, instead of nutrient-dense food.
The UK Food Standards Agency, which publishes this report, admits that something is seriously wrong with the levels of nutritional awareness in Europe.
Bonnie - until growers and processors can reverse their shift from making cheap, nutrient-less food to more nutrient-dense food, we need to supplement our diet with nutrients. At the least, it is crucial to supplement with a high potency multivitamin/mineral. Extra calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, omega 3, and probiotics are other essential nutrients. Of course, I always recommend seeking the advice of a licensed health professional to assess your individual nutritional needs.
Who's to blame for junk food still being in school? -
Stephanie Rose walked into the lunchroom of the Idaho Falls High School with a homemade chart and tallied what she found: Canisters of potato chips. Heaps of candy. Cellophane-wrapped cakes. High-caffeine sports drinks. Twelve percent of the foods offered by the district a la carte program were granola or cereal bars, fruits, vegetables, or low-fat chips or pretzels. The other 88 percent included nachos, corn dogs, chips and cookies. "For 25 cents you can buy 310 calories," said Rose, a nurse and diabetes educator who attended Idaho Falls High in the 1980s, when she had to take a helping of beans on her plate whether she wanted them or not. These days, the school promotes "Corn dogs: two for a dollar," she says. "Good Lord, what are you trying to do here?" Rose studied the food offerings for a school wellness committee, and she's campaigning to get rid of junk food. But she's facing opposition from some parents and school officials who say that if they ban school snacks, the kids will just buy them somewhere else. It will also cut off money that pays for equipment and programs. As in the rest of the country, Idaho residents are getting fatter. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2003 that nearly 60 percent of adults in Idaho were considered overweight or obese. Rose said one-third of the patients she sees who are at risk for diabetes are under the age of 18. The Idaho Falls district wellness committee is the result of a federal law that directs all school districts to have a policy in place by the end of June. But the law has no teeth in it; nothing happens if districts don't come up with a plan. For now, the Idaho Falls committee is proposing minor changes — banning sales of candy in the lunchroom and limiting the size of sodas sold in vending machines.
"It's going to sort out the school districts who care about their kids from the ones who don't," she said.
Courtesy of AP
Bonnie - this is what we have run into when we have consulted for several school districts. Many of the superintendents want to make major changes, but back down when confronted by parents. It is not so much the kids as it is the parents. If the kids eat healthier at school, they will start asking questions about why they don't eat healthier at home. Many parents do not want to make the effort to change.
Comment on the Low Fat Diet Study -
Once again, I hate to say we told you so.
Researchers of the Women's Health Initiative, one of the largest (48,835 participants), most expensive government studies ($415 million), found that eating less fat failed to lower the risk of cancer and heart disease among older women.
Surprised, no? Does that mean you can run out to McDonald's and scarf down their french fries (which McDonald's recently "discovered" had more saturated and trans fat then they knew of)? No.
Like I have said for years, fat is not the problem. As long as you eat saturated fats in moderation, eliminate all trans fats, and get your daily servings of healthy fat, you will be fine. Your body needs fat in your diet!
This is sweet vindication for the tireless conversations I put in with clients and public health officials throughout the 90's.
So where does the focus turn to now for reducing cancer and heart disease? Carbohydrates. Particularly those of the grain variety like wheat, corn, and soy. And, of course, the biggie...SUGAR! It has been my war cry for years and years. I hope we do not have to wait for another long running study to prove this. Of course, the Women's Health Initiative study puts a major crimp in 2005 MyPyramid's plans. As I said last year, their call for more grain carbs was another
disastrous error!
Bonnie
The studies on soy have been a mixed bag mainly because soy is tolerated differently depending on the individual's genetic makeup.
Now that soy is a major food staple worldwide, and has a huge amount of political clout, it is going to be very difficult to make it a "complementary" once again. Of course, you can count on the dairy industry to do all it can to make this happen.
McDonald's discloses allergens in fries -
Less than one week after disclosing that their french fries contained more trans fats than they had thought, another revelation was revealed.
McDonald's had said until recently that its fries were free of gluten and milk or wheat allergens and safe to eat for those with dietary issues related to the consumption of dairy items. But the fast-food company quietly added "Contains wheat and milk ingredients" this month to the french fries listing on its Web site.
The company said the move came in response to new rules by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the packaged foods industry, including one requiring that the presence of common allergens such as milk, eggs, wheat, fish or peanuts be reported.
McDonald's director of global nutrition, Cathy Kapica, said its potato suppliers remove all wheat and dairy proteins, such as gluten, which can cause allergic reactions. But the flavoring agent in the cooking oil is a derivative of wheat and dairy ingredients, and the company decided to note their presence because of the FDA's stipulation that potential allergens be disclosed. "We knew there were always wheat and dairy derivatives in there, but they were not the protein component," she said. "Technically there are no allergens in there. What this is an example of is science evolving" and McDonald's responding as more is learned, she said. While the company wanted to make consumers aware that fries were derived in part from wheat and dairy sources, she said, those who have eaten the product without problem should be able to continue to do so without incident.
Steve - Do you believe them?
The acknowledgment has stirred anger and some concern among consumers who are on gluten-free diets.
Steve - You think?
Courtesy of AP
Stress and emotions can negatively affect heart health -
Research shows that 20 percent of Americans are worried that stress will affect their health, yet 36 percent say they deal with stress by eating or drinking alcohol. While these behaviors may reduce stress in the short term, they contribute to an unhealthy lifestyle that can negatively affect your body and are proven risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
"Achieving a healthy lifestyle comes from adopting behaviors over time that help to manage stress in effective ways that don't at the same time take a toll on your physical health and body," says Russ Newman, Ph.D., J.D., APA executive director for professional practice.
Although heart disease is a serious condition that requires constant monitoring, there are many lifestyle and behavioral changes you can do to manage stress and reduce your risk for cardiovascular problems.
* Identify the sources of stress in your life and look for ways to reduce and manage them.
* Talk to your health professional. No two people are alike, and some treatment or risk reduction strategies may be inappropriate or even harmful if you attempt to do too much too quickly.
* Avoid trying to fix every problem at once, if possible. Focus instead on changing one existing habit (e.g., eating habits, inactive lifestyle). Set a reasonable initial goal and work toward meeting it.
* Don't ignore the symptoms of depression. Feelings of sadness or emptiness, loss of interest in ordinary or pleasurable activities, reduced energy, and eating and sleep disorders are just a few of depression's many warning signs. If they persist for more than two weeks, discuss these issues with your heart doctor. It may be that a psychologist working in collaboration with your physician would be beneficial.
* Enlist the support of friends, family, and work associates. Talk with them about your condition and what they can do to help. Social support is particularly critical for overcoming feelings of depression and isolation during recovery from a heart attack.
* If you feel overwhelmed by the challenge of managing the behaviors associated with heart disease, consult a qualified health professional. He or she can help develop personal strategies for setting and achieving reasonable health improvement goals, as well as building on these successes to accomplish other more ambitious objectives. IN particular, a psychologist can also help clarify the diagnosis of depression and work with the physician to devise a suitable treatment program.
Courtesy of the American Psychological Association (APA).
Pain patients often suffer in silence -
By Will Boggs, MD, Reuters More than 20 percent of patients with chronic pain do not seek physician care for their pain, according to a report. "We need to get over what for many people appeared to be the 'don't ask, don't tell' mentality about chronic pain," Dr. Barbara P. Yawn from Olmsted Medical Center, Rochester, Minnesota told Reuters Health. Among 3575 individuals who responded to a mailed questionnaire, 2302 reported having chronic pain and 2221 answered relevant questions. The investigators found that 497 of these patients (22.4 percent) said that they had not informed their doctors about their pain. Of these silent pain sufferers, 70.6 percent had moderate or severe pain, 48.9 percent had pain for eight days or more per month, and 40.6 percent met both of these criteria. About one quarter of them reported at least moderate interference with general activity and sleep, the results indicate. Vocal pain sufferers were more likely to report interference with general activity and sleep. The survey showed that 78.9 percent of the silent sufferers used over-the-counter pain medications (compared with 56.3 percent of vocal sufferers), but only 5 percent used prescribed pain medications (compared with 35.2 percent of vocal sufferers). Silent sufferers made fewer health care visits per year than their vocal counterparts (5.2 vs 8.6), the report indicates. "I think we need to reassure our patients (probably by example) that we will listen to concerns about chronic pain and take those concerns seriously," Yawn said, and "that we do have alternatives to the 'stronger' pain medications that can cause side effects and have the potential for addiction." "I think it is important to determine if the chronic pain is interfering with work, play, or sleep and if it is, try to help," Yawn commented. "We also need to know when patients are able to deal with the pain on their own and don't need us--but I would prefer they have the confidence to ask us when it is interfering with activities they want to do." SOURCE: Mayo Clinic Proceedings, February 2006.
Bonnie and Steve - Many chronic pain sufferers are silent because they are not confident their doctors can remedy the pain. Doctors do not look at their diets as being triggers of pain. After band-aid approaches wear off, patients usually have nowhere else to turn except surgical procedures. We were truly shocked by the response we received after our Pain Relief Diet story aired on WGN News this month. The two most common things we heard were: 1) I never thought about the connection between food and pain. 2) Why didn't my doctor tell me about this?
Public Health -
Bush aims to cut children's health study -
Last March, we lambasted the government for launching a $2.7 billion National Children's Study to find out 21 years later what makes kids unhealthy. Our reasoning was clear: they need to eat better, exercise, limit exposure to toxins, etc. One does not need to spend $2.7 billion to discover this.
This week, President bush decided to cut the study out of the budget. Of course, his reasoning did not fall in line with ours. Bush was simply looking for ways to trim the fat from the federal budget.
Although Bush does not have the final word, Congress does, and it looks like this study is dead. Why doesn't Bush put that $2.7 billion in incentives to make farmers to grow more organic fruits and vegetables!
Steve
From March 2005...
Government to find what makes kids unhealthy -
The federal government is launching a 21- year National Children's Study, in which researchers will track 100,000 kids in 96 counties from birth to their 21st birthdays to discover what makes them unhealthy.
More than 2,4000 scientists have helped design the $2.7 billion project, the largest and most expensive long-term children's study in history.
FDA re-opens probe into benzene contamination in soft drinks -
US food safety authorities have re-opened an investigation closed 15 years ago into soft drinks contaminated with cancer-causing chemical benzene, following evidence the industry has failed to sort out the problem.
A chemist at the Food And Drug Administration (FDA) said testing in recent weeks had revealed some soft drinks contaminated with benzene at levels above the legal limit for water set by the US and Europe. Benzene is listed as a poisonous chemical shown to increase the risk of
leukemia and other cancers. The FDA was originally alerted in 1990 to the problem of benzene in soft drinks triggered by the preservative sodium benzoate. It never made the findings public, but came to an arrangement with the US soft drinks association that the industry would “get the word out”. But in recent months, internal documents and private tests have begun to surface, supported by claims from a former chemist for Cadbury Schweppes, who is now keen to blow the whistle on the health risk involved. He and a US lawyer commissioned new tests that have now prompted the FDA to re-open the case. These independent tests, performed by a laboratory in New York, found benzene levels in a couple of soft drinks two-and-a-half-times and five times above the World Health Organisation limit for drinking water (10 parts per billion). The FDA now confirms it has found a similar problem in its own follow-up testing. “There were a few isolated products that have elevated levels. We certainly want to make sure there is some reformulation,” said an FDA chemist. The problem is caused by two common ingredients – sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) – which can react together to cause benzene formation. It is considered completely separate from other outbreaks of benzene contamination due to faulty packaging in the 1990s. The two ingredients are still used together in a wide range of soft drinks across the world. More than 1,500 soft drink products containing sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid or citric acid have been launched across Europe, Latin America and North America since January 2002. Courtesy of nutraingredeints.com.
Mercury levels in a new light -
They ate fish during pregnancy — lots of it. But their children are now teenagers and show no signs that their high levels of mercury exposure while in the womb led to any problems with intellectual development.
"Everyone on this team was so sure that we would find adverse effects from high levels of mercury," said Philip W. Davidson, professor of pediatrics, environmental medicine and psychiatry at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. "It was a shock. We didn't believe it. The kids are almost 16, and we still have yet to see a problem."
Davidson's work was presented earlier this month at the American Assn. for the Advancement of Science meeting in St. Louis. He and colleagues from the Ministry of Health in Seychelles have been following 770 children whose mothers were tested during pregnancy for their exposure to mercury from fish. Women from this group of islands in the western Indian Ocean consume 10 times the fish that Americans do.
The study was designed to test the effects of mercury on the developing fetus and then follow the child to see if it affected development. The concern was born in the 1950s when a factory in Japan dumped high levels of mercury in the water, which led to children being born with developmental abnormalities. This was an acute poisoning from massive levels of mercury, but it left open another question: Can low-level, chronic mercury exposure be harmful to the developing fetus?
"This is good news," said Conrad Shamlaye, an epidemiologist with the Ministry of Health in Seychelles. "If people ate 10 times the level of fish with no problem, then Americans should not worry about consuming fish."
There continues to be controversy over mercury exposure — both from fish and from man-made pollutants. The Food and Drug Administration has studied the issue and has tried to educate the public about the importance of the nutrients in fish while trying to minimize exposure to mercury.
Many environmental groups have advised that pregnant women and children younger than 6 limit their intake of canned tuna, fresh tuna, swordfish and shark. These environmentalists say the FDA's evaluation program for mercury contamination is inadequate.
Mercury enters the atmosphere and drops into lakes, rivers and oceans. But about 85% of the mercury pollution in the United States is caused by power plants that burn coal and incinerators that burn trash that contains mercury.
The University of Rochester researchers have continued to conduct neuropsychological tests on the Seychelles children.
"We have seen problems in other studies," said Jason Babbie, a senior environmental policy analyst for the New York Public Interest Research Group. "It is incumbent to act on the side of caution."
Davidson said there could be several explanations for the surprising findings. One is the amount of mercury consumed from fish "may be just too low to cause problems," he said. This study found high levels of mercury in tests of the mothers' hair, a good indicator of what both mothers and fetuses were exposed to. Another possibility: Fish may contain micronutrients that support the developing brain and prevent the potential problems of mercury exposure.
The team has been conducting another study in the same region on another group of pregnant mothers and their children, who are now about 4. In addition to studying mercury levels, they are studying the blood for other nutrients taken from fish, including omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, taurine, choline and protein.
By Jamie Talan
Newsday
Interesting option for bird flu? -
This is a fascinating piece from Chinese researcher Qu Yuan Qu Lai Qu Shaozhong
The bird flu, or avian influenza, is spreading in Europe. The hype and hysteria in the media are quite unprecedented. We are told that there is no remedy, except for Tamiflu and similar drugs, which have however been found to be ineffective. Vaccines for poultry exist and are widely used. A human vaccine however is impossible to make for now. The virus must mutate to infect humans directly before the process of making a vaccine can even begin, and then it will be several months before vaccines are ready for use. No mention is made of the fact that illness needs a convergence of both external and internal factors to develop. External factors are environmental, including viral, challenges. Internal factors are summed up in what alternative medicine calls the terrain, the biological substrate of the host, which in our case are wild birds as well as fowl raised for production of meat and eggs.
Nutrition is important in forming the terrain and preventing illness There are important nutrients, especially the mineral selenium, which determine the immune response of organisms to invading microbes and viral particles. Selenium has been identified as one of the factors in AIDS etiology by geo-epidemiologist Harold Foster. The mineral, or rather a lack of it, is also implicated in the appearance of avian influenza. Selenium supplementation for fowl is recommended where the feed grains themselves do not contain a sufficient amount of this important mineral.
The spread of avian influenza all over the world can not be explained by external factors alone. According to dialectics, the internal factor is the basis and the external is the condition. The external factor can only act through the internal factor. What is the internal factor of avian influenza? Study shows that the internal factor of avian influenza is the consumption of selenium —the only element that has direct relation with viruses in the body of birds - in the peak period (autumn, winter and spring) of egg laying, which causes body imbalance and susceptibility to virus attack. As selenium is an important element needed by immune system, extreme lack of selenium will increase the possibility of being infected with avian influenza.
As seen from macroscopic view, the spread of avian influenza over the world is related to selenium deficiency
Fact: over 40 countries and regions are lacking selenium, including Europe, the USA, Canada, Asia and Southeast Asia. China is seriously deficient in selenium.
It happens that there was a similar case of large scale occurrence of disease caused to humans by lack of selenium. This was keshan disease, an endemic disease caused by the lack of selenium in the early days of the foundation of China. Researchers found Coxsackie’s virus in the heart of the dead, and the question was, why had this normally benign virus turned malign? Further research showed that it was because of selenium deficiency. Premier (Zhou EnLai) made a prompt decision to supplement selenium for 9,000,000 people in 310 areas of over 10 provinces, and the disease was controlled. This was a miracle of worldwide import. When avian influenza viruses attack once again, we should pay attention to the macroscopic relation between the disease and selenium deficiency.
The relation between selenium and avian influenza viruses as seen from a microscopic view The delicate relation between selenium and virus is determined by the characteristics of selenium. Selenium is either a beneficial element essential to the reproduction of living beings or a harmful element with toxicity, and the threshold between the two is very narrow. Birds store selenium in their eggs according to genetic instruction to meet the requirements of reproduction. This is why the concentration of selenium is highest in eggs. The reproduction of viruses also needs selenium (and much more is needed because of the large number of viruses). The selenium needed by a single virus is very little, and if enough selenium is available in the organism of animals, the virus that enters the body will die because of overdose (toxicosis) of nutrition (selenium), in other words, it will poison itself. This is a typical instance of “combating poison with poison”, and also a modus of defense typefied by the phrase “with true Qi preserved, no disease will happen”. On the contrary, when selenium is lacking in the body, it is easiest for viruses to invade, because they can get adequate dosage of selenium. In addition, mutation of viruses always happens in a selenium deficient environment, one that is most suitable to the reproduction of viruses. Experiment shows that a sufficient supply of micromolecule selenium compounds can restrain HIV outside of the organism and inorganic selenium compounds can restrain cow leucovirus outside of the organism. Therefore, Chen Junshi, a nutritionist in our country has pointed out that “Selenium is the only nutritional element that has direct relation with viral infection”. Indirect relation between selenium and viruses Recently, there have been many reports about the indirect role of selenium on viruses, and the most outstanding is that supplementation of selenium can increase the number and activity of NK cells (natural killer cells). NK cells, as the most primitive and most instinctive immune and killing cells, are a specific type of T cell, and have a strong immune and killing capacity for all microorganisms (including all kinds of viruses) and variant cells.
Nano-tech is a key factor in conquering avian influenza Seeing that so much selenium is needed in defense against viruses, why is selenium supplementation not more widespread? This is partly due to the characteristics of selenium. Because the safe application range of selenium is very narrow and its dosage is very small in absolute terms, there is a danger of excessive use if not stirred evenly. In order to solve this problem, China has first invented nano-selenium, the most significant advantage of which is lower toxicity and thus higher safety compared with other selenium compounds.
The acute toxicity of nano-selenium is 7 times lower than that of inorganic selenium and 3 times lower than that of organic selenium.
“Strategy of treating the cause” in the scientific treatment of avian influenza We should adhere to the principle of treating both the principal and secondary aspects of the disease. On the one hand, we should treat the principal aspect by providing supplemental selenium to the people and birds urgently needing supplementation, and on the other hand, we should dramatically change the selenium composition of the soil by adopting selenium rich fertilizer, letting plants absorb and convert much more organic selenium and increase the selenium content in food for humans and birds to a higher level and eventually up to the standard of 200 mcg selenium daily for each person as proposed by WHO.
Chinese history shows how Premier Zhou led us to create a miracle in the world by conquering the kesha virus through supplementation of selenium. Now we have the capability to meet the threat from avian influenza. We should adhere to the principle of treating both the principal cause and secondary aspects of the disease and take appropriate action in selenium supplementation to increase our internal force and make avian influenza and other quick-variation viruses unable to prevail in our country, and finally create another miracle in the world.
Bonnie and Steve -
We know. We know. So now you are wondering, am I getting enough selenium? Look at your multivitamin/mineral and see if it contains selenium. If it does, you should be fine from a supplemental point of view. Dietary staples that are high in selenium are eggs, brazil nuts, poultry, meats, seafood, and on a minor scale, grains. Dietary selenium depends upon the selenium content in soil (which, according to the aforementioned article, is deficient in most areas of the world). If you do supplement with selenium, because of the risk of toxic levels building up in your system, avoid taking high doses--900 mcg or more at one time, or 600 mcg daily for an extended period of time. Be sure to also take into account the amount of selenium you're getting from foods.
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