Friday, February 20, 2009
Health Canada Warns of Side Effects from MS Drug
A drug called Tysabri, used in the treatment of MS, has been in the news. It has been found that this drug has been linked to a brain infection called PML in five cases. PML or progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy usually happens in those with a weakened immune system.
Toronto Medical Officer is Calling for An Increase in Funding for Food
Dr. David McKeown, Medical Officer for Health in Toronto is requesting an increase in monthly funding for those on social assistance. Many people on social assistance are using foodbanks, which is on the rise. People are having to chose between less expensive food or rent. Fresh foods are more pricey and people's health is suffering.
Mediterranean Diet Associated with Less Heart Disease in Women
Another great article from LEF
http://www.lef.org/newsletter/2009/0220_Mediterranean-Diet-Reduction-in-Deaths-Heart-Attack-and-Stroke.htm?source=eNewsLetter2009Wk8-2&key=Article&l=0#article
Close on the heels of the publication of a study in the AMA journal Archives of Neurology linking the consumption of a Mediterranean diet to a lower risk of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease, an article published online on February 17, 2009 in the American Heart Association journal Circulation reports an association between greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet and a reduction in deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke in women.
Teresa T. Fung of Simmons College in Boston along with colleagues at Harvard University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital evaluated data from 74,886 participants in the Nurses’ Health Study for the current analysis. Dietary questionnaires administered six times during the follow-up period were scored for adherence to the Mediterranean diet, which is characterized by a high intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, legumes, fish, and monounsaturated fat, a low intake of saturated fat, red and processed meats, and moderate alcohol consumption (between 5 and 15 grams per day).
Over two decades of follow-up, 1,597 nonfatal and 794 fatal cases of coronary heart disease, and 1,480 nonfatal and 283 fatal strokes occurred. Women whose Mediterranean diet scores were in the top 20 percent of participants had a 29 percent lower adjusted risk of coronary heart disease, a 42 percent lower risk of fatal heart disease, a 13 percent lower risk of stroke, and a 31 percent lower risk of fatal stroke compared to women whose scores were among the lowest fifth. Combined coronary heart disease and stroke risk was lowered by 22 percent, and the risk of cardiovascular fatality by 39 percent, for those whose diet scores were in the top 20 percent.
Consumption of a Mediterranean diet has been associated with reductions in inflammatory markers (such as C-reactive protein), lipids and blood pressure, all of which increase cardiovascular disease risk when elevated. The beneficial effect of the diet on the vascular system may also explain the reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment observed in the Archives of Neurology study. The higher fish intake that characterizes the diet could explain, in part, the lower risk of fatal coronary heart disease events observed in the current study, since greater fish intake has been linked with a lower risk of death from heart disease.
“Greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet, as reflected by a higher Alternate Mediterranean Diet Score, was associated with a lower risk of incident coronary heart disease and stroke in women,” the authors conclude. “Because this analysis is conducted in women and because it is the first report on the effects of Mediterranean diet on stroke, our results need to be replicated in other populations, especially men.”
http://www.lef.org/newsletter/2009/0220_Mediterranean-Diet-Reduction-in-Deaths-Heart-Attack-and-Stroke.htm?source=eNewsLetter2009Wk8-2&key=Article&l=0#article
Close on the heels of the publication of a study in the AMA journal Archives of Neurology linking the consumption of a Mediterranean diet to a lower risk of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease, an article published online on February 17, 2009 in the American Heart Association journal Circulation reports an association between greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet and a reduction in deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke in women.
Teresa T. Fung of Simmons College in Boston along with colleagues at Harvard University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital evaluated data from 74,886 participants in the Nurses’ Health Study for the current analysis. Dietary questionnaires administered six times during the follow-up period were scored for adherence to the Mediterranean diet, which is characterized by a high intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, legumes, fish, and monounsaturated fat, a low intake of saturated fat, red and processed meats, and moderate alcohol consumption (between 5 and 15 grams per day).
Over two decades of follow-up, 1,597 nonfatal and 794 fatal cases of coronary heart disease, and 1,480 nonfatal and 283 fatal strokes occurred. Women whose Mediterranean diet scores were in the top 20 percent of participants had a 29 percent lower adjusted risk of coronary heart disease, a 42 percent lower risk of fatal heart disease, a 13 percent lower risk of stroke, and a 31 percent lower risk of fatal stroke compared to women whose scores were among the lowest fifth. Combined coronary heart disease and stroke risk was lowered by 22 percent, and the risk of cardiovascular fatality by 39 percent, for those whose diet scores were in the top 20 percent.
Consumption of a Mediterranean diet has been associated with reductions in inflammatory markers (such as C-reactive protein), lipids and blood pressure, all of which increase cardiovascular disease risk when elevated. The beneficial effect of the diet on the vascular system may also explain the reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment observed in the Archives of Neurology study. The higher fish intake that characterizes the diet could explain, in part, the lower risk of fatal coronary heart disease events observed in the current study, since greater fish intake has been linked with a lower risk of death from heart disease.
“Greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet, as reflected by a higher Alternate Mediterranean Diet Score, was associated with a lower risk of incident coronary heart disease and stroke in women,” the authors conclude. “Because this analysis is conducted in women and because it is the first report on the effects of Mediterranean diet on stroke, our results need to be replicated in other populations, especially men.”
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Reverse Fatty Liver Through Weight Loss
Another great article from LEF Daily News:
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=7908&Section=NUTRITION&source=DHB_090219&key=Body+Title
Reverse fatty liver disease; 9% weight loss can improve it
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services -- Unrestricted
02-18-09
People with fatty liver disease now have a goal to shoot for as they try to turn their illness around.
In a new study, researchers at St. Louis University found that weight loss of at least 9 percent helped patients reverse non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, more commonly known as fatty liver disease.
The finding will allow doctors to give patients specific weight-loss goals that are likely to improve their livers, researchers say. The results come from a study of the diet drug orlistat (Xenical and Alli), which did not itself improve liver disease.
"It's a helpful study because we can now give patients a benchmark -- a line they need to cross to see improvement," said Dr. Brent Neuschwander-Tetri, a hepatologist at the St. Louis University Liver Center and one of the study researchers.
His work followed 50 patients with NASH, a disease characterized by excessive fat, which causes inflammation and damage to the liver. The aim of the study was to see whether orlistat, which limits fat absorption, along with calorie restriction could lead to weight loss and improve liver disease in overweight patients with NASH.
The patients followed a 1,400-calorie-per-day diet. Half also received orlistat for 36 weeks, at which time another liver biopsy was performed.
Researchers found that patients who lost at least 5 percent of their body weight over nine months showed improvement in insulin resistance and fat accumulation in the liver. However, those who lost 9 percent or more of their weight showed actual reversal of their liver damage.
The findings about the drug were less clear. Those in the orlistat group lost 8.3 percent of their body weight while those in the other group lost 6 percent, a difference that is not statistically significant. Orlistat did not itself improve liver enzymes, insulin resistance or liver damage.
"The bottom line is that weight loss can help improve fatty liver disease," Neuschwander-Tetri said. "Now we know how much weight loss is needed for improvement, and we can give patients specific goals as they work to improve their health."
The study was published in last month's issue of Hepatology. It was funded by Roche Pharmaceuticals, which makes orlistat. To see more of the Belleville News-Democrat, Ill., or to subscribe, visit http://www.belleville.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Belleville News-Democrat, Ill. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=7908&Section=NUTRITION&source=DHB_090219&key=Body+Title
Reverse fatty liver disease; 9% weight loss can improve it
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services -- Unrestricted
02-18-09
People with fatty liver disease now have a goal to shoot for as they try to turn their illness around.
In a new study, researchers at St. Louis University found that weight loss of at least 9 percent helped patients reverse non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, more commonly known as fatty liver disease.
The finding will allow doctors to give patients specific weight-loss goals that are likely to improve their livers, researchers say. The results come from a study of the diet drug orlistat (Xenical and Alli), which did not itself improve liver disease.
"It's a helpful study because we can now give patients a benchmark -- a line they need to cross to see improvement," said Dr. Brent Neuschwander-Tetri, a hepatologist at the St. Louis University Liver Center and one of the study researchers.
His work followed 50 patients with NASH, a disease characterized by excessive fat, which causes inflammation and damage to the liver. The aim of the study was to see whether orlistat, which limits fat absorption, along with calorie restriction could lead to weight loss and improve liver disease in overweight patients with NASH.
The patients followed a 1,400-calorie-per-day diet. Half also received orlistat for 36 weeks, at which time another liver biopsy was performed.
Researchers found that patients who lost at least 5 percent of their body weight over nine months showed improvement in insulin resistance and fat accumulation in the liver. However, those who lost 9 percent or more of their weight showed actual reversal of their liver damage.
The findings about the drug were less clear. Those in the orlistat group lost 8.3 percent of their body weight while those in the other group lost 6 percent, a difference that is not statistically significant. Orlistat did not itself improve liver enzymes, insulin resistance or liver damage.
"The bottom line is that weight loss can help improve fatty liver disease," Neuschwander-Tetri said. "Now we know how much weight loss is needed for improvement, and we can give patients specific goals as they work to improve their health."
The study was published in last month's issue of Hepatology. It was funded by Roche Pharmaceuticals, which makes orlistat. To see more of the Belleville News-Democrat, Ill., or to subscribe, visit http://www.belleville.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Belleville News-Democrat, Ill. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
CRP more powerful indicator for heart disease than cholesterol levels
According to the latest research CRP or C-Reactive Protein, a marker for inflammation is a more accurate measure for a pending heart attack than cholesterol levels. Your medical doctor can order this test for you.
There are many natural supplements that improve CRP levels, such as Fish Oil, a high intake of vegetables and less animal proteins and a supplement called TLC.
There are many natural supplements that improve CRP levels, such as Fish Oil, a high intake of vegetables and less animal proteins and a supplement called TLC.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Losing Weight Can Help Urinary Incontinance in Overweight Women
An Extract from Life Extension Foundation
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=7850&Section=NUTRITION&source=DHB_090206&key=Body+ContinueReading
Weight loss in overweight and obese women reduces urinary incontinence
NewsRx.com
02-05-09
Reducing urinary incontinence can now be added to the extensive list of health benefits of weight loss, according to a clinical trial funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH), both part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The paper reporting the results of the trial will be published in the January 29 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (see also NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases).
The Program to Reduce Incontinence by Diet and Exercise (PRIDE), conducted in Birmingham, Alabama, and Providence, Rhode Island, recruited a total of 338 obese and overweight women who leaked urine at least 10 times per week. The women were randomly assigned to either an intensive six-month weight-loss program of diet, exercise and behavior modification or to a group that received information about diet and exercise, but no training to help them change habits.
The investigators report that women in the intensive weight-loss group lost an average 8 percent of their body weight (about 17 pounds) and reduced weekly urinary incontinence episodes by nearly one-half (47 percent). In contrast, women in the information-only group lost an average 1.6 percent of body weight (about 3 pounds) and had 28 percent fewer episodes.
"Clearly, weight loss can have a significant, positive impact on urinary incontinence, a finding that may help motivate weight loss, which has additional health benefits such as preventing type 2 diabetes," said NIDDK Director Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D.
Urinary incontinence affects more than 13 million women in the United States and accounts for an estimated $20 billion in annual health care costs, according to the paper. Obesity is an established and modifiable risk factor for urinary incontinence, but conclusive evidence for a beneficial effect of weight loss on urinary incontinence has been lacking. The PRIDE trial provides evidence supporting weight loss as a treatment for incontinence.
An important finding of the study is the difference between the two groups in the reduction of incontinence. Among women in the weight-loss group, 41 percent achieved a clinically relevant reduction of at least 70 percent of total incontinence episodes per week, whereas 22 percent of women in the information-only group achieved the same level of reduction.
At six months, women in the weight-loss group were significantly more satisfied with the change in their incontinence than were women in the information-only group. This was assessed through self-reported perceived change in frequency of incontinence, volume of urine loss, the degree to which incontinence was a problem, and satisfaction with the change in incontinence.
"Studies have documented that behavioral interventions help people lose weight, which helps decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, improve control of high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and enhance mood and quality of life," said Leslee L. Subak, M.D., of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and lead author of the study. "Our results suggest that a decrease in urinary incontinence is another health benefit associated with weight loss and that weight reduction can be a first-line treatment in overweight and obese women."
Keywords: Obesity and Diabetes, Bariatrics, Behavior, Clinical Trial Research, Diabetes, Gastroenterology, Incontinence, Kidney Disease, Non-insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Urinary Incontinence, Urology, Weight Loss, Women's Health, NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
This article was prepared by Diabetes Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Diabetes Week via NewsRx.com.
To see more of the NewsRx.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.newsrx.com .
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=7850&Section=NUTRITION&source=DHB_090206&key=Body+ContinueReading
Weight loss in overweight and obese women reduces urinary incontinence
NewsRx.com
02-05-09
Reducing urinary incontinence can now be added to the extensive list of health benefits of weight loss, according to a clinical trial funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH), both part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The paper reporting the results of the trial will be published in the January 29 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (see also NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases).
The Program to Reduce Incontinence by Diet and Exercise (PRIDE), conducted in Birmingham, Alabama, and Providence, Rhode Island, recruited a total of 338 obese and overweight women who leaked urine at least 10 times per week. The women were randomly assigned to either an intensive six-month weight-loss program of diet, exercise and behavior modification or to a group that received information about diet and exercise, but no training to help them change habits.
The investigators report that women in the intensive weight-loss group lost an average 8 percent of their body weight (about 17 pounds) and reduced weekly urinary incontinence episodes by nearly one-half (47 percent). In contrast, women in the information-only group lost an average 1.6 percent of body weight (about 3 pounds) and had 28 percent fewer episodes.
"Clearly, weight loss can have a significant, positive impact on urinary incontinence, a finding that may help motivate weight loss, which has additional health benefits such as preventing type 2 diabetes," said NIDDK Director Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D.
Urinary incontinence affects more than 13 million women in the United States and accounts for an estimated $20 billion in annual health care costs, according to the paper. Obesity is an established and modifiable risk factor for urinary incontinence, but conclusive evidence for a beneficial effect of weight loss on urinary incontinence has been lacking. The PRIDE trial provides evidence supporting weight loss as a treatment for incontinence.
An important finding of the study is the difference between the two groups in the reduction of incontinence. Among women in the weight-loss group, 41 percent achieved a clinically relevant reduction of at least 70 percent of total incontinence episodes per week, whereas 22 percent of women in the information-only group achieved the same level of reduction.
At six months, women in the weight-loss group were significantly more satisfied with the change in their incontinence than were women in the information-only group. This was assessed through self-reported perceived change in frequency of incontinence, volume of urine loss, the degree to which incontinence was a problem, and satisfaction with the change in incontinence.
"Studies have documented that behavioral interventions help people lose weight, which helps decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, improve control of high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and enhance mood and quality of life," said Leslee L. Subak, M.D., of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and lead author of the study. "Our results suggest that a decrease in urinary incontinence is another health benefit associated with weight loss and that weight reduction can be a first-line treatment in overweight and obese women."
Keywords: Obesity and Diabetes, Bariatrics, Behavior, Clinical Trial Research, Diabetes, Gastroenterology, Incontinence, Kidney Disease, Non-insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Urinary Incontinence, Urology, Weight Loss, Women's Health, NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
This article was prepared by Diabetes Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Diabetes Week via NewsRx.com.
To see more of the NewsRx.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.newsrx.com .
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Low Cholesterol Recipes
February, the month of the heart. I had received an excellent few low cholesterol recipes from epicurious. Please follow this link to check out their yummy recipes:
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/healthy/nutritiousdishes/lowcholesterolhearthealth?mbid=RF
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/healthy/nutritiousdishes/lowcholesterolhearthealth?mbid=RF
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