Health News 07/2/09

Multivitamins may lower heart disease death risk

Long-term regular consumption of a multivitamin may reduce the risk of dying from heart disease by 16 per cent, according to a new study from the US.

Intakes of vitamin E over 215 milligrams per day over the course of ten years were also associated with a 28 per cent reduction in the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, according to findings published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

The news supports the use of multivitamins and particularly vitamin E, much-maligned and linked to increased risk of ‘all-cause mortality’ in a controversial meta-analysis in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2004.

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Omega-3 linked to lower body weight: Study

Increased blood levels of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA is linked to lower incidence of obesity, suggesting a role for fish oils in weight management.

New findings reported in the British Journal of Nutrition indicate that overweight and obese people have blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids almost 1 per cent lower than people with a healthy weight.

“Our findings suggest that n-3 PUFA may play an important role in weight status and abdominal adiposity,” wrote the researchers, led by Professor Monohar Garg from the University of Newcastle, and president elect of the Nutrition Society of Australia.

Omega-3 DHA boosts memory for healthy adults

Daily supplements with the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may improve both memory function and heart health in healthy older adults, according to a new study from Martek.

The results, specific to people with a decline in cognitive function that occurs naturally with age, were presented at the Alzheimer's Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD 2009) in Vienna.

Almost 500 people took part in the randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center, six month study, which also recorded improvements in the heart rate of people receiving the DHA supplement.

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Statins May Cause Muscle Damage in Some Patients

People with serious muscle aches showed muscle fiber damage even after halting drugs, researchers say

Statins, medications widely used to lower cholesterol, may cause structural damage to the muscles of people experiencing muscle aches and weakness, a new study has found.

The damage may occur even when tests for a protein thought to signal injury are normal, and may persist even after statin use is halted, according to the study in the July 7 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

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Green Tea News

More evidence that green tea can help people with prostate cancer.

Green tea 'slows prostate cancer'

A chemical found in green tea appears to slow the progression of prostate cancer, a study has suggested.

Green tea has been linked to a positive effect on a wide range of conditions, including heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

The research, in the US journal Cancer Prevention Research, found a significant fall in certain markers which indicate cancer development.

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Omega-3 News!

Hello, everyone! Welcome to the latest compilation of Omega-3 News.

Krill beats fish omega-3s in battling metabolic dysfunctions

Omega-3s sourced from krill are more effective than fish oil in combating some metabolic symptoms including raised fat levels in the heart and liver and violent mood swings in obese individuals, according to Italian researchers.

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Omega-3 deficiency causes 96,000 US deaths per year, say researchers

Omega-3 deficiency is the sixth biggest killer of Americans and more deadly than excess trans fat intake, according to a new study.

The Harvard University researchers looked at 12 dietary, lifestyle and metabolic risk factors such as tobacco smoking and high blood pressure and used a mathematical model to determine how many fatalities could have been prevented if better practices had been observed.

Omega-3 may boost heart health for diabetics

Daily supplements of omega-3 fatty acids may reduce levels of compound in the blood of diabetics linked to heart disease, says a new study from Iran.

According to findings published in the peer-reviewed Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases daily omega-3 supplements cut levels of homocysteine by 22 per cent, compared to less than 1 per cent in the placebo group.

“We found that consumption of omega-3 fatty acids (3 g/day) for 2 months decreases the production of homocysteine in diabetic patients, which can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease,” wrote the researchers from the Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

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Multivitamins linked to younger ‘biological age’: Study

Here's a recent article regarding multivitamins and aging.

Click here.

The cells of multivitamin users may have a younger biological age than cells from non-users, according to new research from the US.

Researchers led by Honglei Chen, MD, PhD from National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences looked at the length of telomeres, DNA sequences at the end of chromosomes that shorten as cells replicate and age.

Dr Chen and his co-workers analysed multivitamin use and nutrient intakes, as well as telomere length of 586 women aged between 35 and 74 in the Sister Study. A 146-item food-frequency questionnaire was used to determine multivitamin use and nutrient intakes.

Compared to non-multivitamin users, the researchers noted that that telomeres were on average 5.1 per cent longer for daily multivitamin users.

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Omega-3 may prevent obesity-related complications: Study

Click here.

Increased consumption of omega-3 fatty acids may protect against obesity-related damage of the liver, which may lead to diabetes, says a new study from Spain.

"Our study shows for the first time that lipids called protectins and resolvins derived from omega-3 fatty acids can actually reduce the instance of liver complications, such as hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance, in obese people," said researcher Joan Claria from the University of Barcelona.

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Optimum Omega is a dietary supplement providing ultra-pure fish omega-3 fatty acids. Used daily as part of an essential nutritional supplement program, Optimum Omega provides important omega-3 macronutrients for optimal health and wellness.

Primary Benefits

• Promotes cardiovascular health*
• Promotes a healthy immune response*
• Supports joint function and mobility*
• Provides natural vitamin E, a potent antioxidant

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• Ultra-pure source of fresh fish oil tested free of toxins, pollutants, and heavy metals
• Omega-3 fatty acids from a marine source is more desirable than from a plant source for two reasons. One, most plant and vegetable oils offer only limited amounts of omega-3 fatty acids (less than 1%). And two, even the best plant sources, such as flaxseed oil, do not offer EPA and DHA, the specific omega-3s with the most notable health benefits.

Since we are talking about Optima Omega, I thought I'd put in another link. his time about latest findings on Omega-3.

Click here.

Best evidence is on Cardiovascular (heart and bleed vessels) health.

Despicable! Statins for children

This morning I just received a report that is so utterly despicable.

Give obese kids statin drugs, advises US pediatric group

Large sections of the pediatric community, not to mention sporting clubs and the dietary supplements and functional foods industries, have expressed concern at an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) statement calling for obese children to be prescribed cholesterol-lowering statin drugs.

The move has stunned many pediatricians, one of whom stated the AAP should be embarrassed by its latest position.

They are critical of the AAP's seeming willingness to discount the potential of diet and lifestyle to combat obesity and ward off heart disease.

Why they'd recommend statin drugs (which have debilitating side effects) over more healthy alternatives like diet and lifestyle modification is beyond me.

It's bad enough that some time ago, the definition for high cholesterol was altered (by "experts" with ties with pharmaceutical companies) in such a way that the "normal" levels of cholesterol was lowered and thus making millions of adults instantly "sick" with high cholesterol so they can be prescribed with statins. Now they are including kids too -- without much scientific basis. Never have statins been tested on children.

What a way for drug companies to milk more money out of people who don't needs drugs in the first place. This is really sickening.

Calcium pills effective for boosting bone health in teenage girls

Calcium is without a doubt important for the bones. But this study says that it's important to take calcium during puberty, when the bones reach their peak mass before it slowly diminishes with age; otherwise, the benefits disappear. Bottomline: take calcium supplements early, and stick to it for continuous benefits.

Click here.

Supplements of calcium effectively increased the build up and bone mineral content in teenage girls, but the benefits are undone if the supplementation stops, suggests a new study. An 18-month randomised trial found that a daily 792 mg calcium supplement boosted bone mineral content in girls, report the researchers in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Moreover, the researchers from the University of Sheffield report that bone turnover also, measured using parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels, and markers of bone resorption (weakening of the bone) also decreased as a result of the intervention.

"Calcium supplementation enhances bone mineral accrual in teenage girls, but the effect is short-lived," wrote lead author Helen Lambert.

At the end of 18 months, the bone mineral content (BMC) in the girls receiving the calcium supplements was greater at all skeletal sites except the hip. Moreover, bone mineral density (BMD) was significantly greater compared to the control group.

The girls were then followed for another two years after the end of supplementation, and the researchers report that "gains in BMC and BMD and differences in bone resorption were no longer evident."

Commenting on the mechanism, Lambert and co-workers proposed that the mineral most likely worked by suppressing bone turnover. These effects were then reversed once supplementation was discontinued.

Calcium is reported to be the biggest seller in the US supplements industry. Annual sales were about $993m (€836m) in 2004, according to the Nutrition Business Journal.

Of course, while taking calcium, it's important to take vitamin D for excellent calcium absorption in the gut, and magnesium to balance calcium, and vitamin c to promote collagen formation in the bones. Also, do not neglect physical activity. The more your stress your bones the stronger it becomes.