Health News Tidbits

Health News Tidbits – May 2003

Physicians Say Mercury in Vaccines Too High -
Scientists say this study provides strong epidemiological evidence for a link between increasing mercury from thimersol-containing childhood vaccines and neurodevelopment disorders and heart disease. Amounts of mercury in thimersol-containing childhood vaccines exceeds Federal Safety Guidelines for oral ingestion. Researchers hope that complete removal of thimersol from all childhood vaccines will help stem the tragic, apparently iatrogenic epidemic of autism and speech disorders in the US.. Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, Vol. 8, No. 1, Spring 2003

Nutrition Link to Premature Birth -
Scientists have found that even modest restrictions in maternal nutrition around the time of conception can lead to premature birth. The sheep study found that underfed females, designed to have them lose 15% of their bodyweight prior to conception, on average gave birth one week early. Researchers believe that human females who diet prior to conception, or have poor nutrition, are major indicators for premature births.
Journal Science, April 25 2003

Teflon to Be Reviewed -
The chemical used in Teflon to prevent from sticking to pots and pans is under scrutiny by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA is launching an intensified and accelerated review of Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFC), found to contaminate most of the US population, including 92% of children tested to date.

Eye Problems Linked With Fosamax-Type Drugs -
Bisphosphonates, often used to increase bone density, have been found to cause serious side effects in the eyes of some patients. While rare, some patients had inflammation that lead to vision loss or blindness if left untreated. Of the patients reporting side effects, most suffered from blurred vision, pain, and swelling. The side effects went away when patients stopped the medication.
NEJM, 3/20/2003;348(12):1187-8l

Eating Fish Helps Heart of Diabetics -
Women with diabetes also appear to receive the heart-healthy benefits of a diet rich in fish. Diabetic women of the Nurse's Health Study, who ate fish at least five times per week, for 64% less likely to develop heart disease. Those eating fish 2-4 times weekly were 36% less at risk, and those eating fish 1-4 times monthly were 30% less at risk. JAMA 2003;107

Lipoic Acid Improves Symptoms of Diabetic Neuropathy -
Diabetic neuropathy symptoms were found to be dramatically reduced with alpha lipoic acid supplementation. ALA also showed improvement in neurologic signs and nerve conduction. ALA produced no favorable side effects.
Diabetes Care, March 2003

Atkin's Okay Short-Term -
According to researchers, women eating a diet mirroring the Atkin's diet lost weight as well as showed improvement in blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar and insulin levels.
Journal Endocrinology & Metabolism 4/2003

Antioxidants My Benefit People With Asthma -
Free radicals may stimulate the release of inflammation compounds. People with asthma experience elevated levels of free radicals. Antioxidant supplements may be of benefit with asthma.
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2003;111:72-78

Tea Boosts Immune System -
Researchers at Harvard Medical school claim that tea boosts the body's defense against infection and contains a substance (L-Theanine) that might be turned into a drug to protect against disease. An experiment showed that immune system blood cells from tea drinkers responded five times faster to germs than did blood cells of coffee drinkers.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Prescription Drugs Side Effects -
Side effects from prescription medicine plague one in four patients (13% were serious), and when they surface, most doctors fail to act. It is believed that nearly 5% of hospital admissions (over 1 million per year) are a result of drug side effects. NEJM 4/16/03

Folic Acid Cuts Down's Risk -

Because of a recently discovered link between neural tube defects and Down's Syndrome, researchers are now recommending taking folic acid to prevent Down's. The Lancet, April 18 2003

Link Made Between Dietary Folate, Genetic Instability, and Bladder Risk -
Individuals who are especially susceptible to genetic damage to their cells and who do not eat enough dietary folate are almost three times as likely to develop bladder cancer as are those who eat plenty of folate and have efficient capacity to repair DNA damage.
2003 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research

Folic Acid Cuts Child Cancer Risk -
Scientists discovered that women who took folic acid during pregnancy halved the risk of their children of developing leukemia. Institute of Cancer Research UK Childhood Cancer Study

Green Tea Linked to Skin Cell Rejuvenation -
Scientists discovered that green tea extract reactivated dying skin cells. While the green tea polyphenols are not absorbed beyond the outer layer of the skin, but exhibited dramatic results for improving skin condition. the scientists suggest potential benefits for skin conditions as diverse as aphthous ulcers, psoriasis, rosascea, wrinkles and wounds.
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 4/25/03

HOME