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Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Newest miracle food may be avocado, which has potential cancer-busting properties


In a study published in the journal Cancer Research, Paul Spagnuolo, a professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, writes of a fat in avocados that combats acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a rare and deadly form of cancer, by targeting leukemia stem cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed
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Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Newest miracle food may be avocado, which has potential cancer-busting properties

First it was blueberries. Then the tart, deep red seeds of pomegranates. Now it's avocado's turn in the spotlight.
Long revered as a superfood with good vitamin and fat content, the fleshy green fruit is being used in the development of a drug that researchers hope will one day be able to fight blood cancer.
In a study published in the journal Cancer Research, Paul Spagnuolo, a professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, writes of a fat in avocados that combats acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a rare and deadly form of cancer, by targeting leukemia stem cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed.
“The stem cell is really the cell that drives the disease,” Spagnuolo said in a statement accompanying the publication of the study, explaining that the continued presence of those cells is why so many patients with leukemia relapse.
The prognosis for AML patients is devastating because there are few treatment options. For 90 percent of those who are older than 65, the disease is fatal in five years. Spagnuolo hopes a new drug made from avocatin B -- the name of the lipid that has been shown to destroy leukemia stem cells -- may help increase their life expectancy or quality of life.
A drug for leukemia derived from avocados is still years away, but even those without cancer can still benefit from the food.
Past studies have shown that eating a lot of avocados is associated with lower blood cholesterol. In one study that involved putting people with slightly elevated levels on a diet rich in avocados for just seven days, researchers saw a 17 percent decrease in cholesterol levels.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/06/18/newest-miracle-food-is-avocado-which-has-potential-cancer-busting-properties/

Monday, June 22, 2015

Trans Fats From Foods May Worsen Memory, Study Finds Men who ate more performed poorly on word recall test

Trans fats may play havoc with your memory along with your cholesterol levels, a new study suggests.
Younger men who ate high levels of trans fats performed more poorly on a memory test involving word recall than those who ate lower levels, the researchers found.
In the study, men with high daily intake of trans fat recalled 12 to 21 fewer words, out of an average score of 86, said lead author Dr. Beatrice Golomb, a professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.
"It's a pretty sizeable relationship," Golomb said. "This adds to a body of evidence that trans fats are not something that people should be sticking in their mouth."
But, it's important to note that the study wasn't designed to definitively prove a cause-and-effect relationship; it can only show an association between higher consumption of trans fats and worsened recall.
The findings were published online June 17 in the journal PLOS One.
Golomb's study appears the day after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a three-year phase-out of partially hydrogenated oils from the American food supply. These oils are a primary source of trans fats.
Golomb calls trans fats an "anti-food," noting that they increase levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol while simultaneously driving down levels of "good" HDL cholesterol.
Trans fats also increase inflammation and interfere with hormone production, which might explain the association between trans fats and memory, she said.
"The purpose of food is to provide your body with the nutrients it needs to function properly," Golomb said. "This actually does the opposite. It subverts cellular and organ function."
Golomb decided to look into trans fats following another study in which chocolate was favorably linked to memory. Chocolate is an antioxidant that has anti-inflammatory properties, so it stood to reason that trans fats might harm memory by promoting inflammation, she said.
In the study, researchers evaluated data from 645 healthy men who were asked to complete a dietary survey and take part in a memory test.
The test involved a set of 104 cards, each bearing a word. The men had to say whether each word was new, or had been shown to them before.
On average, men 45 and younger recalled 86 words. But for each additional gram of trans fats consumed daily, their performance dropped by 0.76 words, the study revealed.
Men whose daily diet contained about 16 grams of trans fats recalled 12 fewer words correctly, while men who consumed as much as 28 grams of trans fats daily recalled about 21 fewer words, the study found.
"This study does provide 'food for thought' about potential adverse effects of dietary trans fatty acids on cognitive [mental] function," said Dr. Marc Gordon, chief of neurology for Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, N.Y.
However, Gordon said that the study doesn't prove a direct link between trans fats and memory, but only shows a potential association that might have some other explanation.
Besides causing inflammation, trans fats might also inhibit the body's production of omega 3 fatty acids, which play a crucial role in brain function, Golomb said.
"It would not be unexpected for that to lead to worse brain function," she said.
Trans fats also might affect a person's serotonin levels, said Jim White, a nutrition expert in Virginia Beach, Va., and a spokesman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Serotonin is a hormone that regulates mood, appetite and sleep, and also plays a role in brain function.
"If trans fat is reducing serotonin levels, it can really affect depression and memory," said White, noting that previous studies have shown increased depression in people who consume high amounts of trans fats.
On June 16, the FDA ruled that partially hydrogenated oils are no longer "generally recognized as safe," the designation that for decades has allowed companies to use the oils in a wide variety of food products.
Companies have until June 18, 2018 to either reformulate their products and remove all partially hydrogenated oils, or petition the FDA to permit specific uses of the oils, the agency announced.
Even though food manufacturers have cut trans fats by 86 percent since 2003, trans fats still make up 2 percent to 3 percent of the average American diet -- about 5 to 6 grams a day, White said.
"I normally don't recommend cutting out anything completely in the diet," White said. "Our bodies even need a small amount of saturated fats to sustain them. But I tell people, do not consume anything with trans fats in them. This is a nutrient that's been nothing but negative."
The study focused on men because there were too few women to include in the analysis, Golomb said. But she added that she saw no reason why trans fats would affect women differently than men.
http://consumer.healthday.com/vitamins-and-nutrition-information-27/food-and-nutrition-news-316/trans-fats-from-foods-may-worsen-memory-study-finds-700500.html

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Can U.S. Health-Care System Afford New, Improved Cholesterol Drugs?

A new class of powerful cholesterol drugs is poised to hit the market, and doctors are both hopeful about their potential, and worried that insurers won't pay for them.
The drugs, known as PCSK9 inhibitors, can drastically cut LDL cholesterol -- the "bad" kind linked to increased risks of heart attack and stroke. And they are expected to open up a new option for people who cannot take statins, the drugs that have been the standard for cholesterol-lowering since the 1980s.
Last week, an advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended the agency approve two PCSK9 inhibitors: alirocumab (Praluent) and evolocumab (Repatha).
The FDA, which usually follows the recommendations of its advisory panels, is expected to OK both drugs.
Some cardiologists have heralded PCSK9 inhibitors as a breakthrough -- particularly for patients who can't take statins because of side effects, such as intolerable muscle pain, and for those whose LDL does not decline enough with statins or other current drugs.
"I think this is fantastic news for those patients," said Dr. Thomas Whayne, director of the Lipid Management Clinic at the University of Kentucky's Gill Heart Institute.
The downside, as Whayne sees it, is that insurers may not be willing to pay in all cases. "I think we'll have some tremendous battles with pharmacy benefit managers," he said.
Why? Because PCSK9 inhibitors are complex, injectable drugs called monoclonal antibodies, which are expensive to produce. And they are expected to be priced accordingly -- running up to $12,000 a year, according to a recent estimate from CVS Health, one of the nation's largest pharmacy benefit managers.
By comparison, many statins are available as generics, and can cost as little as a few dollars a month, according to Consumer Reports.
CVS Health warned that PCSK9 inhibitors could put a "great cost" on the health-care system. As many as 15 million Americans could be candidates for the drugs, the company said -- and those people would be taking the medications for years, if not decades.
It's likely that some patients will have difficulty getting insurance coverage, agreed Jack Hoadley, a research professor at Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute, in Washington, D.C.
"In these situations, the insurance companies can end up looking like the bad guy if they put up obstacles," Hoadley said.
On the other hand, he added, there are legitimate reasons for payers to balk: The new drugs do slash LDL levels -- by as much as 60 percent -- but they haven't been studied long enough to know whether they actually prevent heart attacks and strokes.
"What we don't have yet is evidence that these drugs save lives," Hoadley said.
Plus, it's not entirely clear which people with high cholesterol would fare better with a PCSK9 inhibitor rather than a statin or other standard medication.
"There will be some ambiguity about which patients are the right candidates," Hoadley said.
And that will be a "real challenge" when the medications hit the market, said Brent Reed, an assistant professor of pharmacy practice and science at the University of Maryland, in Baltimore.
"I think the first patients to receive this drug will be those with familial hypercholesterolemia," Reed said, referring to a genetic condition that causes very high LDL levels that often resist statin treatment.
Beyond that group, though, things get murkier.
People who are "statin-intolerant," because of side effects such as muscle pain, seem like obvious candidates. But, Reed said, statin intolerance is not simply defined: Studies show that people who have, or perceive, statin side effects often do much better if they try again -- with a different statin or a different drug dose.
Reed said he wouldn't be surprised if insurers required proof of true statin intolerance before they would approve a PCSK9 inhibitor.
Whayne pointed to another group that could benefit from the new drugs: People at high risk of heart attack or stroke -- because of multiple risk factors, like diabetes and high blood pressure -- whose LDL levels do not respond adequately to statins.
But again, that's a gray area. If a doctor wants to further reduce a patient's LDL, an insurer can question the necessity. The latest guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association say it's the statin treatment that is important, but downplay the need for getting LDL to a "target" number.
Whayne said he can foresee doctors "battling" insurers in such cases.
Still, Whayne also stressed that doctors will have to be selective about PCSK9 drugs. "This should not be a casual prescription," he said.
For his part, Reed said the unknowns about PCSK9 inhibitors -- not only their long-term effectiveness, but their safety -- will make him cautious. "Until I see compelling evidence that they improve patients' outcomes, I can't really see choosing them over a statin in most cases," he said.
Hoadley noted: "The FDA will probably approve them, but the FDA process does not look at whether these drugs are any better than the alternatives." That, he said, will require studies that compare PCSK9 inhibitors with statins.
SOURCES: Thomas Whayne, M.D., Ph.D., director, Lipid Management Clinic, University of Kentucky, Gill Heart Institute, Lexington; Jack Hoadley, Ph.D., research professor, Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, Washington, D.C.; Brent Reed, PharmD., assistant professor, pharmacy practice and science, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_153148.html

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Most Physical Activity Helps You Sleep Better

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Certain types of physical activity help you sleep better, while others might leave you tossing and turning, a new study finds.
Researchers looked at data from a survey of more than 429,000 American adults. They found that activities such as walking, bicycling, running, weight lifting, aerobics/calisthenics, gardening, yoga/Pilates and golfing were all linked to better odds of a good night's slumber.
But, people who got physical activity from household chores and child care had a greater risk of poor sleep, according to the study.
Results of the study were presented this week at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, in Seattle. Findings presented at meetings are generally viewed as preliminary until they've been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
The results of this study were surprising, according to study leader Michael Grandner, a psychiatry instructor at the Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
"Not only does this study show that those who get exercise simply by walking are more likely to have better sleep habits, but these effects are even stronger for more purposeful activities, such as running and yoga, and even gardening and golf," Grandner said in a university news release.
"It was also interesting that people who receive most of their activity from housework and child care were more likely to experience insufficient sleep -- we know that home and work demands are some of the main reasons people lose sleep," Grandner added.
"These results are consistent with the growing scientific literature on the role of sleep in human performance. Lab studies show that lack of sleep is associated with poor physical and mental performance, and this study shows us that this is consistent with real-world data as well," he explained.
But since the study design only allowed the researchers to find associations between activity and sleep, instead of proof of a cause-and-effect relationship, more studies are needed, according to Grandner.
SOURCE: University of Pennsylvania, news release, June 4, 2015
HealthDay
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_153056.html

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Chamomile Tea Tied to Longer Lives for Mexican-American Women

SATURDAY, June 13, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Consumption of chamomile may be linked to a longer lifespan for older Mexican-American women, new research suggests.
The study, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, found that among Mexican-American women who consumed chamomile, the risk of death during the study period was reduced by about 28 percent.
"Drinking chamomile tea is beneficial to the health of Mexican-American women," said the study's lead author, Bret Howrey, assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
However, the study only showed evidence of a possible link between chamomile and longer lifespan. It didn't prove a cause-and-effect relationship.
And at least one nutritionist questioned the validity of the study's findings.
The herb chamomile is a mainstay of alternative medicine, and practitioners often recommend it to treat conditions like stomach problems and cramps, according to the study. But "few well-designed and controlled human studies have been conducted on the effects of herbal teas or herbal preparations," said Diane McKay, an assistant professor with the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, who's familiar with the study findings.
Researchers examined the findings from almost 1,700 Mexican-American people from the southwest United States. They were all 65 and older, and were tracked from 2000 to 2007. About 14 percent of the participants reported using chamomile, according to the study.
Using chamomile didn't seem to affect lifespan in men, the study found.
When researchers adjusted the statistics to account for factors such as age, smoking and chronic health conditions, they found the odds of dying during the study period were reduced by just over one-quarter in women who used chamomile.
Why might chamomile affect lifespan and health in general? It's unclear. "Our understanding of chamomile is still really in its infancy," Howrey said.
He added that the study itself has limitations: It's based entirely on research into a Mexican-American community. Only 26 percent of those in the study had a normal weight. Also, there's no information on the overall diet of the participants. Those who consumed chamomile could have healthier diets overall, although the researchers did try to take factors such as fitness and weight into account.
The study also says nothing about people who aren't Mexican-American, Howrey said. And he noted that the study doesn't eliminate the possibility that men could benefit from chamomile. The study may not have picked up a benefit for them due to lower rates of chamomile consumption (just 8 percent of men reported using it) or worse health overall, he said.
McKay called the study "deeply flawed." She said the findings don't support the idea that chamomile affects lifespan.
Among other weaknesses, she said, the study doesn't explain how participants consumed chamomile: "We can't say for sure whether these folks actually drank the same chamomile tea we find on our store shelves, or even how much they drank and how often. No information was collected on the actual form of chamomile used, i.e., whether it was tea, pill or other type of preparation, or whether it was actually consumed rather than used as a lotion or inhaled oil, for example."
Howrey acknowledged that the study says nothing about how much chamomile to take. Still, he recommends consuming chamomile, especially since it's "generally non-toxic, relatively inexpensive, and widely available."
He mentioned one caveat -- some people may be allergic to chamomile, especially if they're allergic to related plants such ragweed.
Howrey said the researchers are continuing to track the older Mexican-Americans. However, "if the effects of brewed chamomile are very subtle and benefits slow to manifest," a more extensive study would be needed, he said.
The study was published recently in the journal The Gerontologist.
SOURCES: Bret Howrey, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Family Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston; Diane McKay, Ph.D., director, Graduate Certificate Program, and assistant professor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston; April 29, 2015, The Gerontologist
HealthDay
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_153075.html

Monday, June 15, 2015

FDA Ban on Harmful Trans Fats Expected Soon

SUNDAY, June 14, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Harmful trans fats may soon be banished from America's food supply, following a U.S. Food and Drug Administration announcement expected any day now.
The move could prevent as many as 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths from heart disease a year, the FDA says.
Most trans fats in food come from partially hydrogenated oils. Up to now, the FDA has designated these oils with "generally recognized as safe" status. That allows manufacturers to use the oils in food without prior FDA approval.
But under the proposed rule on the verge of finalization, the FDA would reclassify partially hydrogenated oils as food additives. This means companies would need federal approval before including them in food products.
"This is going to be a huge public health victory," said Jim O'Hara, director of health promotion for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which petitioned the FDA to ban trans fats nine years ago. "It's time to get trans fats out of the food supply."
Food manufacturers use partially hydrogenated oils to improve the texture, shelf life and long-term flavor of foods, according to the FDA. They are created by pumping hydrogen into vegetable oil to make it more solid.
These oils most often are found in processed foods such as:
  • baked goods like cakes, cookies and pies,
  • nondairy creamers,
  • microwave popcorn,
  • frozen pizza,
  • margarine and other spreads,
  • vegetable shortening,
  • refrigerated dough products such as biscuits and cinnamon rolls.
Trans fats are considered even worse than saturated fats such as butter because they simultaneously increase "bad" LDL cholesterol and reduce "good" HDL cholesterol in the body, said Sonya Angelone, a registered dietitian nutritionist in San Francisco.
"Trans fats don't do anything good for us, and they are in a lot of foods that people like eating," said Angelone, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "If we get rid of them, it's going to help people reduce their risks for heart attacks and strokes."
Companies began cutting back on their use of partially hydrogenated oils in 2006, when the FDA added trans fats to the Nutrition Facts label contained on products, O'Hara said.
Food manufacturers have voluntarily lowered the amounts of partially hydrogenated oils in food products by 86 percent since 2003, and continue to remove them from products, according to a statement released last week by the Grocery Manufacturers Association.
"I think they've seen the handwriting on the wall," Angelone said. "A lot of large companies have already moved to get rid of trans fats."
In November 2013, the FDA released a tentative determination that partially hydrogenated oils are not generally recognized as safe. It opened the matter up for public comment and has since weighed input from consumers, industry, advocacy groups and academic researchers.
The FDA's latest statement, issued last week, said the agency "expects to make a final decision whether artificial trans fats, known as partially hydrogenated oils, are generally recognized as safe for use in food in the next several weeks."
Companies still would be able to petition the FDA to use partially hydrogenated oils as food additives, to help preserve flavor or colors in some foods. The Grocery Manufacturers Association is leading an industry working group that is developing a food additive petition for partially hydrogenated oils, the group said in its statement.
"We hope that the FDA will take a very rigorous and skeptical eye to these petitions," O'Hara said.
SOURCES: Jim O'Hara, director, health promotion, Center for Science in the Public Interest; Sonya Angelone, M.S., R.D.N., C.L.T., registered dietitian nutritionist, San Francisco, and spokesperson, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; June 11, 2015, statement, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; June 10, 2015, statement, Grocery Manufacturers Association
HealthDay
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_153076.html