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A proprietary algal culture – known as “PAZ” or “ProAlgaZyme” – was found to support healthy cholesterol balance by increasing “good” cholesterol (HDL) and reducing non-HDL cholesterol while consuming a high-fat diet. The testing in lab animals showed that PAZ helped remove excess cholesterol from cell storage and transported it to the liver for excretion from the body. Health Enhancement Products, Inc., maker of the algal culture extracts, says the effects of its product in improving "good" cholesterol, and therefore cardiovascular health, “are significant and potentially wide-reaching”.
"ProAlgaZyme sub-fraction improves the lipoprotein profile of hypercholesterolemic hamsters, while inhibiting production of betaine, carnitine, and choline metabolites", Journal of Nutrition & Metabolism, January 09, 2014
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A U.S. study finds evidence that vitamin E slows functional decline in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease, though no added benefit for memory or cognitive testing was discerned. The clinical study involved 613 patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's and was conducted from August 2007 to September 2012 at 14 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. The trial showed that vitamin E delays progression of functional decline by 19 percent a year, which translates into 6.2 months benefit over placebo. Alzheimer's affects 5.1 million Americans and is a taxing burden on 5.4 million family members and friends who serve as caregivers.
"Effect of Vitamin E and Memantine on Functional Decline in Alzheimer Disease", JAMA, January 09, 2014
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One night of sleep deprivation increases morning concentrations of molecules that signal a decline in brain tissue, Swedish scientists have found. For the study, fifteen normal-weight men were sleep-deprived for one night, and then slept a normal eight hours. A night of total sleep loss was followed by increased blood concentrations of NSE and S-100B, brain molecules that typically rise in blood under conditions of brain damage. “Our results indicate that a lack of sleep may promote neurodegenerative processes,” the researchers concluded, “ and “a good night’s sleep may be critical for maintaining brain health.”
"Acute sleep deprivation increases serum levels of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and S100 calcium binding protein B (S-100B) in healthy young men", Sleep, January 08, 2014
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Poor methodology used in large clinical studies probing the value of vitamin supplements has rendered them mostly useless, according to U.S. scientists. Whether the studies defend or disparage the use of multivitamin and other micronutrient supplements, flaws in study design torpedo their value. Many studies have tried to analyze nutrients that are naturally available in the human diet the same way they would a powerful prescription drug, leading to conclusions that have little scientific meaning, even less accuracy and often defy a wealth of other evidence, said one researcher. What is needed are new methodologies that accurately measure baseline nutrient levels, provide supplements or dietary changes only to participants who clearly are inadequate or deficient, and then study the resulting changes in their health.
"Myths, Artifacts, and Fatal Flaws: Identifying Limitations and Opportunities in Vitamin C Research", Nutrients, January 08, 2014
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Chronic neuropathic pain from conditions such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis affects more than 50 million Americans, but so far conventional analgesics with their often severe side affects have not provided relief. Now Chinese and U.S. scientists have determined in rodent research that a compound derived from a traditional Chinese herbal medicine alleviates pain. Dehydrocorybulbine (DHCB) from the roots of the Corydalis yanhusuo plant relieved both inflammatory pain from tissue damage and injury-induced neuropathic pain caused by damage to the nervous system. The compound may point the way to an effective and non-addictive neuropathic pain reliever.
"A Novel Analgesic Isolated from a Traditional Chinese Medicine", Current Biology, January 03, 2014
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Organic milk contains significantly higher concentrations of heart-healthy fatty acids than milk from cows fed conventionally, U.S. researchers report. The study compared 400 samples of organic and conventional milk over 18 months. The researchers were surprised to find that conventional milk had an average omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio of 5.8, more than twice that of organic milk's ratio of 2.3. The heart-healthier ratio of fatty acids in organic milk is due to a greater reliance on pasture and forage-based feeds – grass and legumes – on organic dairy farms.
"Organic Production Enhances Milk Nutritional Quality by Shifting Fatty Acid Composition", PLoS ONE, January 03, 2014
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A nutrient-dense version of a traditional Indian snack could go a long way toward relieving the child malnutrition problem in the country. About 45,000 children die of malnutrition in the state of Maharashtra each year. In a recent pilot study, half of the participating children were diagnosed as severely malnourished. For the study, a researcher developed a recipe for laddoos, donut-hole shaped snacks served at Indian festivals, consisting of whole wheat flour, roasted peanuts, milk, cardamom, butter, sesame seed, and cane juice pressed into cakes. During the study, more than half of the children who regularly ate the fortified laddoos went from severely malnourished to moderately malnourished.
"A Small, Round Indian Dessert With Hidden Malnutrition-Fighting Powers", Co.Exist, January 02, 2014
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Contrary to traditional medical opinion, pregnant women should not worry that eating peanuts will cause a peanut allergy in their child, U.S. researchers report. For years women were advised to avoid highly allergenic foods such as peanuts and tree nuts during pregnancy and while nursing. In addition, it was suggested that children three years old and younger should not be allowed to eat peanuts. The researchers noted that despite the advice, from 1997 to 2007 the number of peanut allergy cases in the U.S. tripled. Researchers analyzed data collected from 8,205 children, finding that peanut allergy rates were significantly lower among children whose mothers ate peanuts before and during pregnancy.
"Prospective Study of Peripregnancy Consumption of Peanuts or Tree Nuts by Mothers and the Risk of Peanut or Tree Nut Allergy in Their Offspring", JAMA Pediatrics, December 23, 2013
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Drug-related liver injuries are on the rise, thanks to increased use of dietary supplements, a $32 billion industry in the U.S. largely unregulated and built on often-unproven claims that products will help people lose weight, build muscle or ward off a host of chronic illnesses. According to new U.S. research, dietary supplements account for nearly 20 percent of drug-related liver injuries serious enough to require hospital care. That’s a seven percent increase, and may actually undercount the total number of cases. Studies show that the market has been deluged with adulterated and mislabeled products, and products packaged in potentially unsafe dosages.
The supplement industry says most products are safe, but acknowledges that harmful, contaminated products – often bodybuilding supplements tainted with steroids – are sold by a “criminal” fringe of suppliers.
"Spike in Harm to Liver Is Tied to Dietary Aids", The New York Times, December 21, 2013
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s report on eight years of data (2003 – 2010) on sodium intake in the U.S. says there were small declines in the prevalence of excess sodium intake among children through age 13, but none in adolescents or adults. “Despite slight declines in some groups, the majority of the U.S. population aged greater than or equal to one year consumes excess sodium,” the CDC notes. The agency adds that reducing sodium intake is a national health priority because excess sodium intake can lead to hypertension, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
"Trends in the Prevalence of Excess Dietary Sodium Intake — United States, 2003–2010
", Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, December 20, 2013
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Two new clinical trials testing the health impact of dietary and other supplements found that most, including multivitamins, not only are useless at preventing chronic disease or death, some increase the risk of death among generally well-nourished populations. In an editorial accompanying the studies, clinicians and public health experts said the use of supplements is “not justified, and they should be avoided”. Vitamin industry representatives countered by saying a study reported last year on 15,000 men found that multivitamins reduced cancer risk. Worldwide vitamin industry sales in 2012 were $23.4 billion, up three percent from 2011. Forty percent of Americans say they took multivitamins or minerals between 2003 and 2006.
"Multivitamins Found to Have Little Benefit", The Wall Street Journal, December 16, 2013
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People who walk regularly for exercise generally assume that it’s healthful for them, even if they walk more slowly for longer periods of time, expending about the same energy as brisk walkers in shorter periods of time. But now a large-scale U.S. study – data gathered from 7,374 male and 31,607 female participants who reported walking at a wide variety of speeds – found that faster walking is more beneficial. The researchers cross-referenced the data against the National Death Index, finding that deaths since 1998 were disproportionately clustered among the slowest walkers (i.e., three miles an hour or slower). They were especially vulnerable to dying from heart disease and dementia.
"Why a Brisk Walk Is Better
", The New York Times, December 04, 2013
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A British think tank reports that more than a third of adults globally were overweight or obese in 2008, a 23 percent increase from 1980. Adults in the developing world did not escape the phenomenon, of course: over the last 30 years, obese adults in these countries quadrupled to 904 million, more than are found in the developed countries. But the surprise is how the trend has invaded emerging economies. According to the Overseas Development Institute, the increase in obesity is associated with a "creeping homogenization" of diets globally, thanks to rising incomes, the impact of advertising and globalization.
"Future diets: Implications for agriculture and food prices", Overseas Development Institute, January 03, 2014
Growing public sentiment in China opposing genetically modified crops – often seen not only as a scary food safety issue but as a strategy by the U.S. to weaken China and control the world’s food supply – has created a predicament for China’s government. The Chinese food ministry -- and its agri-science community -- has long been committed to the use of genetically modified crops, and to the development of its own GM varieties. To that end, it has spent a lot of research money on GM technology, hoping to ensure self-sufficiency in food by increasing crop yields on limited farmland. More than 70 percent of China’s cotton is genetically modified. The imported (often from the U.S.) soybeans it overwhelmingly uses are GM. Five years ago the government approved safety certificates for GM varieties of rice and maize, but further approvals for commercial growing are delayed and certificates could expire – thanks to anti-GM pressure.
"Genetically modified crops: Food fight", The Economist, December 14, 2013
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Nutraingredients, December 12, 2013
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